Remember Me?
by xxLuAshxx
Summary: Bella Swan was bullied by the Cullens when she was younger, especially by Edward Masen, so she moved to Phoenix. But what happens when she moves back to Forks, beautiful and confident? *STEPHANIE MEYER OWNS TWILIGHT* R&R
1. I Want To Come Home

Chapter 1: I Want To Come Home

_Sweat dripped down my back as my dad drove into the familiar gates of Forks Elementary School. I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palm, trying to stop myself from screaming at my dad to take me away from this hell. My breathing became laboured as I felt the car slow down and eventually roll to a stop._

"_I'll pick you up at around four." My dad smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners. I nodded my head, swallowing the bile that was rising in my throat. I clutched the door handle, praying that somehow I could stick to it, resulting in me having the day off. _

"_Bells, are you ok?" Dad asked. My dad was never one for showing his emotions, but I could plainly hear the hint of concern edging in his voice._

"_I'm fine." I whispered back before bravely opening the door. I tumbled out of the door and slammed it shut._

"_Happy birthday!" He called. I watched with a false smile and a wave as Dad drove his police cruiser away from the school and to work._

_My body started trembling as I turned towards the school. I clutched my books closer to my body and pushed my glasses higher up my nose. My feet reluctantly started shuffling towards the school, treading in puddles along the way._

"_Eww look! It's Smelly Belly!" Someone called. I kept my head down and carried on, willing the tears to go away. The bullying I received caused me to eat a lot, resulting in me gaining weight._

_I don't know what I did wrong, but I knew that they picked on me because of my looks. I had greasy mouse brown hair with a greasy pig face and muddy brown eyes to go with it. I had big black glasses and crooked teeth which I really wanted to get sorted, but I couldn't have braces because __**they **__would make even more fun of me._

"_Why does she even bother coming? Nobody wants her here." I heard a few of the girls giggling. I picked up my pace, trying to get into the school as fast as I could. People tried to trip me on my way but I narrowly avoided them._

_Once I managed to get into the warm office, I immediately started checking over my shoulder. It was around about this time where __**they **__came and did something unpleasant to me._

_They called themselves "The Cullens" but I had no idea why. Everybody wanted to be in their gang, but instead, followed them around and tried to do everything they asked._

_Including bullying me._

_The receptionist, Mrs. Johnson, glanced at me worriedly before I scrambled out into the busy corridor. As I shuffled down to my locker, students thought it was their duty to knock into my shoulders repeatedly whilst shouting, "Watch it Smelly!" or "Quick, I might catch a disease from her!"_

_I did my best to get to my locker and sighed in relief when I reached it. I placed my books in there but kept my Maths book as I had Maths first._

"_Well, well, well. Look what we have here." I immediately froze at the sound of that menacing voice. A lump rose in my throat, almost causing me to choke on tears that started filling up my eyes. Silence swept through the corridors as I heard eleven sets of footsteps getting louder and louder. A whining sound erupted in my throat as fat tears rolled down my cheeks._

"_Bitch! When my brother talks to you, you look at him!" I closed my eyes and clenched them shut. I had been praying all night that __**they **__would leave me alone today. But it appeared that God hated me too. I felt my body shift as I released my death grip on my locker and turned to face __**them**__. I peeked my eyes open and the first thing I saw was __**them**__._

_Edward Mason. He had bronze hair and piercing green eyes. He had pale clear skin; his body was toned and slightly muscular with pearly white teeth and was tall. He was the leader of "The Cullens" andwas wanted by all the girls. He always wore a scowl when he was around me. He was the worst out of the gang when it came to physical and verbal abuse._

_Alice Brandon; Edward's sister. She was petite with short cropped black hair with softer green eyes, but was incredibly strong; I had leaned that the hard way. She and Rosalie always sought out to insult my looks in the worst possible ways. She also tried to "improve" my looks by beating me senseless._

_Rosalie Hale. She was a blonde goddess with curves in all the right places and had beautiful crystal blue eyes. She was a mixture of Alice and Edward; if Edward wasn't in school, she would take charge and beat me for him. All the boys pined after her, but she only had eyes for her boyfriend._

_Emmett McCartney; Edward's brother and Rosalie's boyfriend. He had muscles on muscles with black curly hair and grey eyes. Most of the time, he would hold me as the others punched and kicked me. He was the strongest out of the lot and had nearly killed me at one point._

_Jasper Whitlock; Rosalie's brother and Alice's boyfriend. He was lean with blonde wavy hair down to his chin with ocean blue eyes. Sometimes I thought he was nice, but would then proceed to beat me up. He was besotted with Alice, doing everything that she asked._

_Their closest followers included Tanya Denali, Jessica Stanley, Lauren Mallory, Mike Newton, Tyler Crowley and Eric Yorkie. They wouldn't be as bad as "The Cullens" but would participate in making my life a living hell. They always got the school together to play tricks on me and to, basically, hate me._

_Edward snapped his fingers in front of my face._

"_Why are you ignoring me Smelly?" he sneered in my face. I wanted to do something, anything, to get them to leave me alone, but I felt rooted on the spot. Rosalie came up to me and slapped me hard on my left cheek. The force of the blow caused me to fall on to the linoleum floor, bashing my head against the lockers. Everyone burst into laugher and I started smelling the blood._

"_Please, just leave me alone." I whimpered, holding my palm to my cheek. The laughter was cut off and morphed into gasps and whispers. I glanced up at __**them **__and saw their faces were red with anger._

"_You know what Smelly? Why don't you do everyone a favour and just die. It's obvious that your father only looks after you because he takes pity on you. You're a worthless bitch that will up never dating anyone and you will grow old and lonely. Hell, I bet that's even a better version of the life you'll lead. If you dropped dead right now I would cheer and dance around your lifeless body and I'm sure everybody in the whole town would do the same." Edward's voice rang out through the corridor. Before I could respond, he pounced on me and started punching me on my face. Blood started gushing down my face and I could faintly hear the cheers of students egging him on. I tried to cover my face with my hands until another pair of meaty hands grabbed my wrists and pinned them behind my back. I felt feet kicking my bruised body and the sound of my clothes ripping._

"_It's just like jelly." Alice cackled, poking my exposed stomach. Rosalie dug her nails into my flesh and I cried out._

"_Shut up!" Jasper hissed. He swiftly took one of my wrists from Emmett and twisted it until I heard a crack. Pain exploded in my wrist and I screamed, earning a punch in my jaw from Edward. Thick, metallic liquid filled my mouth and I spat it out onto the floor. Mike Newton ripped my glasses of my face and broke them in half. He then dropped them on the floor and proceeded to stamp on them so the glass shattered._

_All of a sudden, the school bell rang and the crowd immediately scattered to their classes. Only __**they **__remained behind._

"_Tell anybody it was us and you're dead." Edward hissed, spitting on me, before strutting away to his next class with his posse following behind him._

_My sobs echoed throughout the hallway. How was it that children of thirteen years old could be so cruel towards me? I hadn't done anything to them and it had been happening since the first day of kindergarten._

_I whimpered and clutched my wrist to my chest. Using the last ounce of my strength, I hoisted my trembling body off the ground which was now covered in my blood. I steadily picked up my Maths book and broken glasses and limped outside by supporting myself on the lockers, hissing from the pain, and was greeted by the coolness of the rain. I fumbled in my pockets and sighed silently in relief as I saw that my new mobile phone was not broken._

Some thirteenth birthday. _I thought bitterly in my head._

_My lips trembled as more tears streamed down my cheeks, mixing with my blood. I shakily pressed the numbers that I thought I would never have to call and place the phone next to my ear._

"_Hello?" the sweet voice answered._

"_M-Mom?" I sobbed into the receiver. My parents had divorced and my mom went to live in Florida. As far as I knew, she was dating a baseball player called Phil._

"_Bella, sweetie? What's wrong?" Her voice was panicked. I sniffed and wiped my sleeve against my nose. I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't stay here and have my life beaten out of me._

"_I want to move to Phoenix; I want to come home." I whispered brokenly into the phone._

**It's a slow start but don't worry, it's going to get a whole lot better! :)**


	2. Sticking Together

Chapter 2: Sticking Together

"Ms. Sinclair, face the front and pay attention!" I repressed a smirk as Mr. Langford's beady eyes glared at me. Most of the girls fancied him with his stuck up brown hair and tanned face, but I had no idea why. I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back into my chair; I didn't see the point in Geography.

Ever since I moved to Phoenix, my life had taken a turn for the better. Renée took me to the gym everyday where I lost a tonne of weight, giving me a new fit and slightly toned body. She had married her boyfriend Phil, who became an international baseball star, so we had the money for me to have braces. They came off last year and my once crooked teeth were now perfectly straight and pearly white. My hair had turned luscious and brunette with hints of red in the sunlight, and I had gotten it cut to a style which suited the new me. **(A/N; Picture of Bella's Hairstyle on my profile)**

Also, going to the gym had helped me fill out and grow taller. I was now standing at five foot ten, with gorgeous curves that every girl envied me for. My skin was clear and smooth and Phil had paid for me to have laser eye surgery, meaning that I didn't have to wear glasses anymore. They had brightened slightly, turning them into a chocolate brown. I was no longer Bella Swan;

I was Izzy Sinclair.

The shrill sound of the school bell rang throughout the school. Chairs scraped against the floor as students packed away and scrambled to get out of the door to enjoy the warm sun. I rolled my eyes and packed my bag. I slung the strap over my shoulder and picked up my beloved leather jacket that I never went anywhere without. **(A/N; Picture of Bella's Leather Jacket on my profile)**

"Ms. Sinclair, a word?" Mr. Langford called. I sighed and walked towards him, standing in front of his desk.

"Yes?" I asked in a bored tone.

"Ms. Sinclair, your lack of attention in my class simply won't do." He scolded.

"I'm sorry." I apologised, rubbing my eye with my free hand, "I've just got a lot on my mind." Phil had been offered a new position in Florida and my mom wanted to go with him, but I didn't want to leave my friends. Mr. Langford's eyes softened.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently. I shook my head.

"Nah, I'll be alright." He nodded his head and allowed me to leave. I walked out of the door and outside to the parking lot. I immediately spotted two boys in black leather jackets leaning against my car and I smiled. **(A/N; Picture of Bella's Car on my profile)**

I quickly shrugged on my jacket and weaved in between the cars making my way over to the two boys.

"Hey guys." I greeted. They both turned around and smiled when they saw me.

"Hey Iz." Will nodded, giving me a hug. Will was just over six feet with scruffy blonde hair and a toned body with teal blue eyes. **(A/N; Picture of Will on my profile)**

"Finally! What took you so long?" Scott asked as I let go of Will to give him a hug. Scott was just a little bit shorter than Will with short cropped brown hair and a muscular body that matched his hazel eyes. **(A/N; Picture of Scott on my profile)**

"Mr. Langford wanted to talk to me about my attention in class." I rolled my eyes as I got my keys out of my jean pocket and unlocked my car.

"Why? What happened?" Scott asked.

"We're still debating on moving." I shrugged, hopping into the driver's seat as Will took the passenger seat and Scott jumped into the back. I revved my engine and sped out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

"Do you want to move?" Will asked.

"No." I answered immediately. Will and Scott were like the brothers I never had. It would kill me to leave them and I'm pretty sure it would kill them too.

"It's not like my mom can _make _me move." I assured them. They both looked at me sceptically, "What?"

"You're still seventeen Iz." Will hinted.

"So?"

"So…" Scott rolled his eyes, "You're still under the influence of your parents." I grumbled unintelligibly under my breath as I dropped both of them off at their houses. It wasn't a long journey as they lived next door to each other.

"See you tomorrow Iz!" Will waved as he jumped out of the car. Scott leaned over and bumped his fist against mine.

"Later Iz." He called, sliding out of the back. As soon as they were both out of my car, I sped off towards my home, worrying about the upcoming conversation. I had decided that I was going to tell Renée that there was no way that I was going to move to Florida; either we wouldn't move or she would move without me.

I pulled up on the drive and saw Phil's Jeep already parked in the garage. I sighed, knowing that Phil will have to hear the potential argument. I climbed out of my car and locked the door. I marched up into the house and found that it was already open. I shut it and threw my bag down by the stairs. The T.V. sounded loudly from the living room, so I took a deep breath and headed into it. But as soon as I entered, my eyes narrowed and I tensed.

Phil and Renée were curled up on the sofa, surrounded by seven suitcases.

"What the hell is this?" I asked angrily, waving towards the suitcases.

"We're moving." Renée smiled.

"No. No way am I moving." I jutted my chin out. I stormed out of the living room and into the kitchen. I heard voices murmuring in the living room as I grabbed a bottle of water out of one of the cupboards. I unscrewed the lid and hydrated myself by taking a sip of the cool liquid. I heard a pair of feet shuffling towards me and turned around to face Renée.

"Bella-" I glared pointedly at her, "Izzy," she sighed, "this is a huge opportunity for Phil. It could be an amazing adventure for us."

"Well, you'll just have to go on this amazing adventure without me." I said, jumping up and sitting on the kitchen counter.

"Well, what else is there to do? We've already told Phil's manager that we'll go; we can't back out of it now." Renée asked.

"How about I live with Will or Scott until I'm eighteen?" I challenged.

"You know we can't let you do that." She sighed, shaking her head. I drummed my fingers on my lap as Renée rubbed her forehead with her hand. Suddenly, she froze and smiled.

"Fine, it's not like I'm your only parent." It took me a moment to comprehend what she was saying.

"No. No." I gasped, scrambling off the counter and backing away from her.

"Be reasonable Izzy, and just think, you're already packed!" Renée squealed. Somehow, I knew I wouldn't win this argument, but there was absolutely no way in hell that I would live with Charlie and go back to…**them**.

"But…but-" I begged.

"Oh hush now. It's perfect! I'll go and call Charlie now!" she smiled, turning on her heal and heading towards the phone. Before I could think to stop her, she had already dialled Charlie's number and was holding the phone to her ear, tapping her foot impatiently against the wooden floor.

"Charlie! How are you?" she inquired. I kept my fingers crossed and prayed that Charlie couldn't take me in.

"Well, I've called you because I have a bit of a problem." She launched into great detail of our situation and ended it with, "Is it possible that she would be able to stay with you?" A moment of tense silence passed throughout the house as I waited for is answer. But Renée's smile grew and I knew what Charlie's answer was. I clenched my fists and stalked towards the stairs, hearing Renée thanking Charlie over and over again.

I stomped up the stairs and into my room, slamming the door behind me.

"I don't believe this." I muttered, grabbing my slender touch screen phone and dialling two familiar numbers. I paced my bedroom back and forth as I waited for one of them to pick up.

"Hello?" Will answered.

"Who is it?" Scott asked in a girly voice. I laughed out loud.

"Izzy?" They both asked.

"Hey." I said, but then I bit my bottom lip, remembering why I called them.

"So, have y'all come to a conclusion?" Scott asked. The silence I gave them must have answered his question.

"No." Will breathed.

"They're making me move in with my dad." I whispered, feeling the tears spring to my eyes. Someone cleared their throat.

"Well, that's not-" Will started but was cut off by Scott.

"We're coming with you."

"What?" Will and I asked; I think I must have misheard him.

"Iz, you didn't think I would let you go that easily, did you? Look on your wrist." I complied and lifted my right wrist and wanted to smack my forehead. On my right wrist was my special tattoo, made up of three stars. They each represented me, Will and Scott. I got it to remind everyone that we wouldn't ever be split apart by anything. Of course I had to lie about my age and Renée had a fit, but it was so worth it. **(A/N; Picture of Bella's Tattoo on my profile)**

"If you're sure." I sighed.

"Of course I'm sure." Scott promised. "Are you in Will?"

"Hell yes!" Will answered.

"Awesome! So, when do we leave?" Scott asked and I chuckled into the phone. But then I visibly paled as I remembered a key fact.

"But guys, I might run into…**them**." Scott and Will were the only ones who knew about the bullying that happened at Forks. As soon as I'd finished telling them, they both tried to order flights to Forks to pummel the bullies themselves, but I managed to stop them.

"Well, that's good then." Scott answered smugly.

"Good? Good! They practically destroyed my childhood Scott!" I screamed.

"Exactly, perfect for revenge…" Will trailed off. I immediately shut up and an evil smirk pulled at my lips.

"Did I ever tell you guys how much I love you?" I questioned.

"Izzy!" Renée called and I rolled my eyes.

"I've got to go guys; I'm being summoned by my mom." I heard two throaty chuckles.

"Bye Izzy!" They both chorused and laughed as I hung up. I sighed and smiled at my phone for a moment before pocketing it and heading downstairs. I jumped the last step and saw Renée with her hands on her hips, one of her eyebrows raised.

"What?" I asked innocently, "Is there something on my face?" I touched my hand to my cheek. She rolled her eyes and motioned for me to follow her. I smiled; annoying her was so fun. I trailed behind her into the kitchen and hopped up onto the kitchen table, swinging my legs off the edge. She spun around to face me.

"Everything's been arranged. Charlie has kindly allowed you to live with him and he'll meet you at the airport when you land in Seattle. Your flight leaves in three days." She informed, looking at me expectedly. I pursed my lips.

"Have you ordered the ticket yet?" I asked.

"No, but I'm about to." She gestured over to her laptop which was loading up.

"Order three." I said and slid off the table.

"Three?" she questioned.

"Yes; three." I rolled my eyes and went to the cupboard, grabbing an energy bar.

"Why three?" her eyes narrowed at me.

"One for me, one for Will and one for Scott." I told her plainly. I opened the wrapper and took a bite of the bar. I looked at the label and saw it was strawberry flavour.

"And have you discussed this arrangement with Will and Scott?" Renée asked, clicking her tongue.

"Mmhmm." I hummed, chewing on the delicious bar.

"And where are they staying?" Renée folded her arms across her chest. Oh; I had forgotten about that. She stared at me as I slowly swallowed the bar.

"I don't know; they'll get their own place when we get there I expect." I scrunched up the wrapper and threw it in the bin.

"They're too young to get their own place." Renée scowled, but I shook my head.

"They're both eighteen, so technically they're not. Besides, it's their choice." I shrugged and glanced at Renée. She sighed heavily and then looked back at me.

"Fine." She muttered and turned to face her laptop. I walked over her, wrapped my arms around her neck and kissed her on the cheek.

"Love you mom." I smiled. She grunted but I peeked down and saw the amusement in her eyes and saw her lips tugging at the corners. I let her go and went back upstairs to my room. Once I entered, I locked the door and tapped my chin, thinking about what to pack first.

xoxox

"Come on Iz, or we won't make it to the airport in time!" Scott shouted.

"I'm coming!" I shouted back. I put on my sunglasses and grabbed my bag. I swiftly walked downstairs and out into the front garden where Will and Scott were trying to fit the drum kit in Scott's Jeep. I laughed.

"Why don't you just by another drum kit when we get to Forks?" I called.

"Because this one's special!" Scott called back. I smiled and shook my head. Each of us could play drums, guitar, bass, piano and could sing a bit too. Along with my music, Will and Scott had also taught me to speak Italian which I was quite fluent in now.

"I'll miss you sweetie!" Renée sobbed, rushing over to me and wrapping her arms around my waist.

"I'll miss you too." I replied, patting her back. After a long moment, she released me and I went over to hug Phil.

"Your car will be shipped over to Forks and should arrive the day after you get there." Phil informed me; this was one of the reasons I loved him.

"Thanks Phil." I said appreciatively.

"È abbastanza per amare; andiamo avanti!" Scott called. _**("Alright, enough love; let's move!")**_

"Oh bene, sto arrivando! Dio, mantenete la vostra parrucca!" I shouted back, giving Renée and Phil a kiss on the cheek and stalking towards the car. _**("Oh alright, I'm coming! God, keep your wig on!")**_

"Wow, qualcuno sembra un po 'irritabile." Will sniggered. _**("Wow, someone seems a bit cranky.")**_

"Forse è a causa di un uomo uccello fastidioso cervello che non riesco a capire il significato di pazienza." I glared pointedly at Scott as I climbed into the monsterous jeep and slammed the door behind me. _**("Maybe it's because of an annoying bird brained man who can't seem to understand the meaning of patience.")**_

"Ahi, che uno ferito." Scott laughed as he appeared in the driver's seat. _**("Ouch, that one hurt.")**_ I rolled my eyes as I buckled myself into the seat.

"Voi due si stanno comportando come dei bambini." Will muttered from the passenger seat, shaking his head. _**("You two are behaving like children.")**_ We all looked at each other and burst out laughing. Scott started up the engine and started driving off. I opened the window and waved to Renée and Phil who were on the driveway, waving back. Once they were out of sight, I shut the window and relaxed back into my seat.


	3. Back To Hell

Chapter 3: Back To Hell

After blasting music through Scott's Jeep and singing off tune to the lyrics, we finally arrived at Phoenix Airport. I sighed in defeat, knowing that when I get off the plane, I'll be back in Forks. I shuddered at that thought and quickly scrambled out of the Jeep. We entered the airport and quickly scanned the T.V. to see when our flight was due to come in.

"Dannazione! Abbiamo ancora due ore fino a quando il nostro volo!" Scott shouted. _**("Bloody hell! We still have two hours until our flight!") **_I rolled my eyes and smacked him on the side of his head.

"Ouch! Gesù Izzy, che diavolo era quello?" Scott shouted, rubbing his head. _**("Ouch! Jesus Izzy, what the hell was that for?")**_

"Per essere così idiota! Uno, tenere la voce bassa, e due, che non è il nostro volo!" I hissed at him. _**("For being such an idiot! One, keep your voice down, and two, that isn't our flight!")**_ I lifted my hand and pointed at Gate Seven.

"Questo è il nostro volo. E 'solo aspettare 20 minuti." I stated calmly. _**("That's our flight. It's only a twenty minute wait.") **_Scott sighed and nodded, seeming a lot calmer. I looked around and noticed passers-by staring at me and Scott weirdly.

"What? You've never heard two Americans speak Italian before?" Will shouted at them. They put their heads down awkwardly and walked away quickly. I grinned at him and gave him a high five.

"I'm hungry!" Scott suddenly boomed, causing me to jump. He quickly grabbed mine and Will's arm and dragged us to a small café. We sat down at a table and got comfy when a waiter came up to us.

"Hello, can I please take your order." He smiled, flipping open a small notepad and clicking his pen. Me, Scott and Will glanced at each other and grinned like Cheshire cats.

"Avrò una cioccolata calda con panna extra." I smiled brightly at him. _**("I'll have a hot chocolate with extra cream.")**_ His eyes widened and he gulped.

"Erm, miss...I'm afraid I don't-" he stuttered.

"Avrò un cheeseburger con patatine fritte e una lattina di Coca Cola." Will ordered, clasping his hands in front of him and twidling his thumbs. _**("I'll have a cheeseburger with fries and a can of Coke.") **_

"I'm really sorry but I don't-" the waiter stuttered.

"E voglio due hot dog con tre sacchetti di patatine fritte e un extra sundae grandi caramello." Scott smirked and put his hands behind his head. _**("And I want two hot dogs with three bags of fries and an extra large caramel sundae.") **_We all watched as the waiter turned on his heal and walked away. When he went into the kitchen, we laughed so hard that we had tears in our eyes; it would be fun to see what they had cooked for us.

All too soon, the laughter died down and I was reminded of the harsh reality that I would soon be heading to Forks. I looked at the big clock in the centre of the café and saw that we had fifteen minutes until we had to board our flight. Sensing my discomfort, Will put his arm around my shoulders.

"Are you ok?" He asked worridly. I nodded my head and smiled slightly as I saw our waiter come back with three glasses of Tangos. He shakily put them down and smiled nervously at us.

"We didn't order this." I told him. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Y-You speak English?" he squeaked.

"Maybe you shouldn't be working here if you don't give customers what they order." Will mock glared at the waiter who was slowly stepping back towards the kitchen.

"I'm really s-sorry. I didn't know-"

"Never mind. We shall take our business elsewhere." Scott informed him, standing up and sauntering out of the café. Me and Will nodded and followed after him. Once we were a good few meters away, we started laughing once again.

"D-Did y-you see his f-face!" Scott shouted in between laughs. Scott and Will sat down on a bench, still laughing whilst I lay across on both of them.

"I'm still hungry." Scott said and Will rolled his eyes and punched Scott in the shoulder.

"How long until our flight?" I asked, when suddenly a woman on a tannoy spoke.

"_All passengers boarding to Seattle please wait at Gate Seven. Thank you." _

"Well, I guess that answers that question." I mumbled. I hopped off the boys' laps and started heading towards Gate Seven with Will and Scott trailing behind me. We gave in our tickets and were led onto the plane. We managed to get a row of three seats to ourselves. Scott was by the window and Will was on the other end, leaving me squished in the middle between both of them.

After being uselessly told about what to do in case of an emergency, we were told to buckle our seatbelts as we would be taking off. I looked out of the window and saw the plane start to move. I randomly waved to people who were watching the plane and some of them waved back; result!

xoxox

"I'm bored." Scott complained. We had been in the air for an hour and still had another one to go.

"Same." Will replied. I huffed and folded my arms across my chest. I had to admit that I was bored too. I looked around and saw that there were people gazing curiously at us and it gave me an idea.

"Hey, I have an idea." I whispered.

"Do tell." Will said, leaning in closer.

"Why don't we play a game of 'Bogies'?" They grinned and agreed.

"Bogies." I said quietly.

"0.2." Scott said.

"Bogies." Will said a little louder. The people in front of us shifted and Will looked at me.

"0.5." I whispered.

"Bogies." Scott shouted out.

"2.3." Will nodded at him.

"Bogies!" I shouted louder. People started to glance at us but I kept my head down.

"3.2." Scott muttered. He cleared his throat.

"BO-GIES!" Will shouted. People started turning in their seats with annoyed looks on their faces. We all looked down and sniggered.

"5.8." I giggled.

"BOGIES!" Scott coughed loudly.

"6.6." Will laughed.

"BOGIES!" I screamed. The boys broke down laughing whilst I was trying to hold in my sniggers.

"7.9." Scott laughed out. I could see people were getting really irritated with us now, but I didn't care; I was having too much fun. But nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.

"BOGIES!" Will screamed at the top of his lungs. Me and Scott looked at him wide eyed before we burst out laughing. Tears came to my eyes and I kept wiping them away. Scott leaned on me, trying to catch his breath.

"9.4." I squeaked out before laughing again. Will started laughing with us until we saw a stewardess heading our way. I could tell she was fake as she had died red hair and had too many buttons undone on her uniform, showing her cleavage.

"Excuse me, I've been hearing some complaints about you three playing a game." She looked at us disapprovingly but me and Scott just kept on laughing.

"I apologise on behalf of them." Will said to her, straight face. She glanced at him and her eyes seemed to lose their focus.

"T-That's fine." She said, flipping her hair over her shoulder and batting her eyelashes, "Just try and keep it down, ok?" I snorted at her attempts to flirt and she quickly glared at me and started strutting away, adding extra swing onto her hips, but it made her look like she was limping.

"Forse dovresti andare in ospedale con quella hip male!" I called out to her. _**("Maybe you should go to the hospital with that bad hip!") **_We started cracking up again and I'm sure all of our faces were red.

xoxox

After playing another round of 'Bogies' and getting told off once again, we finally arrived in Seattle Airport. The stewardess winked at Will but he pushed us out of the plane before we started cracking up again. We stumbled indoors because we were laughing so much and Will had to get our luggage for us.

Once we got our respective bags, I turned around and looked for Charlie; Renée had told me that he was picking me up. I searched through the crowd of people until I spotted a middle-aged man with short brown, curly hair which was turning slightly grey and deep brown eyes. I zoned out of his face and chuckled at what he was wearing; a police uniform. I smiled slightly at the man and shook my head. Charlie.

"Hey Cha- dad!" I called as I weaved in between the crowd. Charlie looked up and his eyes widened as I waved at him.

"Bella?" He said as I got closer.

"Shh!" I hissed as I came closer to him. "I've changed my name to Izzy Sinclair." I whispered in his ear whilst hugging him awkwardly. He pulled back a bit.

"Izzy Sinclair?" he questioned. I nodded my head. "Why?"

I shrugged, "I just like the name." Charlie narrowed his eyes and looked at me sceptically. He looked me over before smiling slightly.

"Wow Be- Izzy. You look...good." I held back a grimace. I should have known that he was expecting me to be fat Bella, not Izzy. Suddenly, his face turned red as he stared at my wrist.

"What is that?" He asked through gritted teeth. I gulped and looked down as I saw his eyes zero on my tattoo.

"It's nothing." I mumbled, looking down. "Can we go home now?"

Charlie looked at me one more time and huffed before carrying my two big suitcases. I followed him out of the airport and saw him heading for his police cruiser and I sighed; the sooner I get my car, the better.

It suddenly clicked in my brain that I had completely abandonned Will and Scott. I spun around and saw them heading towards the opposite side of the lot. I started running towards them.

"I'll be back in a minute dad!" I shouted over my shoulder. I picked up my speed until I jumped on Scott's back.

"Holy hell!" Scott shouted, obviously taken off guard.

"I never asked how you guys were travelling..." My eyes wandered to Will packing both Scott and his suitcases into the boot of another expensive looking Jeep.

"How...?" I looked at Scott for an explanation.

"I've got more than one Jeep, Iz." Scott winked at me. I started fuming and punched him repeatedly on his shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I yelled at him. "I could've ridden to Charlie's with you!" Scott grabbed my wrists to stop me from punching him.

"Well, we figured it was best if you and your father had some...bonding time." I was momentarily touched by their gesture until I saw Scott's lips twitching.

"You...ugh!" I shouted. I started stalking back over to Charlie.

"Aww, c'mon Iz; don't be like that! Besides, don't you want to know where we live?" I stopped short and huffed. I slowly starting walking backwards, trusting Scott or Will to stop me if I went the wrong way. I felt my back bump into someone's chest and I looked up into the eyes of Will.

"Where are you living now?" I asked him in a small voice.

"We've chosen a flat in Port Angeles. I think it's kind of nice." He looked over to Scott who nodded his head in agreement. All my anger had vanished and I sighed, turning to face Will and wrapped my arms around his waist, giving him a hug. I leaned up on my toes and kissed him on the cheek before I ran over to Scott and did the same thing.

"You'll have to help us decorate this flat, Iz." Scott told me after he released me. I nodded my head and turned to both of them.

"I'll see you at school, right?" I asked. They were both seniors with me, but they were both eighteen whilst I was stuck at seventeen.

"_See _you? We're picking you up!" Will exclaimed. I brilliant smile spread across my face.

"Awesome!" I pounded my fist against theirs and with another goodbye, i started jogging back to Charlie.

"E possiamo dare quei bulli che per!" Scott shouted at me. _**("And we can give those bullies what for!")**_

"Inferno sì!" I called back, laughing. _**("Hell yes!") **_I quickly made my way over to Charlie and hopped in his dreaded police cruiser. He pulled out of the parking lot and I waved once more at Will and Scott before settling down into my seat. Charlie put the heating on and I looked out of the window.

"Who were those two boys?" Charlie cleared his throat and I rolled my eyes where he couldn't see; I was wondering how long it would be before inspection started.

"William Blackwell and Scott Thorp. They're my best friends and I met them in Phoenix." I replied. Everything outside of the window started turning green, an indication that we were travelling to Forks. I sighed and looked through the windshield, seeing rain starting to splatter onto the glass. I closed my eyes and bit my lip, already missing the sun.

After two hours of awkward silences and conversing about Renée, we finally arrived at Charlie's house. As I looked up at the small white building, memories came flashing back to me of a little chubby girl running into the house with tears welling up in her eyes. I took a deep breath and shook my head, opening the door. Charlie got my bags out of the trunk and I swiftly opened the front door.

I hadn't stepped foot in this house for four years, but it seemed like nothing had changed. Yellow was still the main colour of the inside of the house. The blue curtains were still tattered and the floor was still dirty. I made a mental note to make sure this house was clean by Monday. I followed Charlie up the familiar stairs and into my room.

I observed the old blue washed walls and the yellow laced curtains that draped by my window. A new desk had been shoved to the east side of my room with a wardrobe placed on the left. Shelves had been refitted above my desk and my old small bed had been replaced by a larger single bed with purple bedsheets. Charlie put down the suitcases by my bed.

"I didn't know what colour bedsheets you wanted." He said, rubbing the back of his neck, "You like purple, right?"

"Purple's...cool." I concluded; it was better than yellow. A silence took over as I remembered spending many nights in this room, crying silently about what **they **had done to me.

"I ordered pizza." Charlie stated, "I hope you don't mind." I smiled and shook my head. "Right. I'll leave you to...er...unpack." He said and left, closing my door behind him. I sighed and got to work, placing my clothes and shoes in my wardrobe, putting my books and CDs on the shelves and carefully putting my laptop on the desk. Once I was done, I kicked off my shoes and decided to call Scott and Will. I picked up my phone and frowned when I saw that it had low battery. I retrieved my newly packed phone charger and pluuged it into the wall. As it was charging, I grabbed my iPod and decided to charge that as well. Just as I was finishing up, placing my alarm clock on my bedside table, Charlie called to me that pizza was ready.

I hopped down the stairs and grinned as I smelled mozzarella pizza; my favourite! As soon as I saw it, I dug into it, earning a laugh from Charlie. Once I was full, I rubbed my eyes, feeling tired; jetlag must have been the cause.

"I'm going to go to bed now dad." I yawned loudly and started heading up the stairs, "Night dad!" I called.

"Night Izzy!" he called back and I smiled as he remembered my new name. I went into the bathroom and had a shower using my calming strawberry shampoo. Once I dried off, I cleaned my teeth thoroughly before running into my room and putting on my comfy, baggy pyjamas. I dragged my feet over to my bed and collapsed on top of it.

_Thank God it's Friday__!_ Was the last thing I thought before allowing sleep to take over.


	4. The Quiet Before The Storm

Chapter 4: The Quiet Before The Storm

"_Good morning Folks! You are tuned into Forks F.M.! Forecast is cloudy weather with a few showers scattered around Forks and La Push, but now lets start the day with a bit of Katy Perry for you Friday Night Partiers!"_

_**There's a stranger in my bed  
>There's a pounding my head<br>Glitter all over the room  
>Pink flamingos in the pool<br>I smell like a minibar  
>DJ's passed out in the yard<br>Barbies on the barbecue  
>Is this a hickie or a bruise?<strong>_

_**Pictures of last night**_  
><em><strong>Ended up online<strong>_  
><em><strong>I'm screwed<strong>_  
><em><strong>Oh well<strong>_  
><em><strong>It's a blacked out blur<strong>_  
><em><strong>But I'm pretty sure<strong>_  
><em><strong>It ruled<strong>_  
><em><strong>Damn<strong>_

_**Last Friday night**_  
><em><strong>Yeah, we danced on tabletops<strong>_  
><em><strong>And we took too many shots<strong>_  
><em><strong>Think we kissed but I forgot<strong>_  
><em><strong>Last Friday night<strong>_  
><em><strong>Yeah, we maxed our credit cards<strong>_  
><em><strong>Then got kicked out of the bar<strong>_  
><em><strong>So we hit the boulevard<strong>_  
><em><strong>Last Friday night<strong>_  
><em><strong>We went streaking in the park<strong>_  
><em><strong>Skinny dipping in the dark<strong>_  
><em><strong>Then had a ménage à trois<strong>_  
><em><strong>Last Friday night<strong>_  
><em><strong>Yeah, I think we broke the law<strong>_  
><em><strong>Always say we're gonna stop<strong>_  
><em><strong>But this Friday night<strong>_  
><em><strong>Do it all again<strong>_  
><em><strong>This Friday night<strong>_  
><em><strong>Do it all again<strong>_

My fist slammed down on my alarm clock, effectively turning off the noise that had woken me up from my sleep. I lay back on my bed and stretched, then leaned up and saw the time;

**10:03**

I groaned and reluctantly kicked the warm quilt off my body. My feet touched the cold wooden floor and I jumped at the temperature difference. I slowly put my feet down again and then trudged in the bathroom, rubbing my eyes on the way. I hurriedly brushed my teeth and washed my face which woke me up. I walked back into my bedroom and changed into a baggy short-sleeved top and my jogging bottoms. I looked in the mirror and saw that my head was a tangled mess so I through it up in a ponytail where my fringe still hung above my eyes and a few loose strands of hair escaped.

Satisfied with my work, I smiled at my reflection and headed down the stairs. I sauntered into the kitchen and pulled out a box of Cheerio's. I poured some into a bowl and as I went to get some milk, there was a note on the fridge.

_**Gone fishing with Harry Clearwater. Be back around 5.**_

_**Charlie.**_

I sighed and shook my head, crumbling up the note and throwing it in the trash. I drowned my cereal in milk and grabbed a spoon, scoffing down my first meal of the day. Once I was finished, I washed up the bowl and spoon and put on my trainers. I grabbed my keys and opened the front door. Thick air greeted me and I groaned; it was always harder to run in this weather. I locked the door behind me and started on my morning jog.

**xoxox**

"Dannazione! Questa è stata la corsa più dura che abbia mai avuto!" I panted, bending over to catch my breath. _**("Bloody hell! That was the hardest run I've ever had!")**_ I wiped the sweat away from my forehead and straightened up just as it was starting to rain. I headed back into the house and kicked off my smelly trainers and dragged my feet into the bathroom. I ran myself a warm bath and stripped off, allowing myself to relax in the warm water.

After I was clean, I dried myself off and changed into another pair of comfy cotton jogging bottoms and a clean shirt. I put my dirty clothes in the washing basket and went back into my room. I quickly scanned my shelves of books and picked up _Pride & Prejudice_. My legs felt heavy and tired so I climbed on my bed, pulling my fluffy bed-socks onto my feet. I curled up onto my side and opened my book, hearing the pitter-patter of rain against my window.

As time passed by, I started to become engrossed in the book. I love how Mr. Darcy was portrayed as mysterious and grumpy, but then Elizabeth was the only one who could bring out his good and happy side. Just as Mr. Bingley had proposed to Jane, my stomach started growling. I sighed and marked my page, glancing at my alarm clock;

**15:17**

I sat up and realised that my feet were toasty warm. I pulled off my bed-socks and stretched once again as I jumped down the stairs. As I padded into the kitchen, I stopped momentarily as I thought about what I wanted to eat. There was no point doing a big lunch for myself as Charlie would be home in a couple of hours.

Without thinking, I looked through all of Charlie's cupboards and frowned as I only saw the essentials such as milk, cereal and cheese. I looked in the freezer and saw cans of beer with steak and a few unpeeled potatoes. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the potatoes and steak and brought them onto the counter. I started cooking the steak and left it in the oven. As I was peeling the potatoes, I heard my mobile phone ringing. I quickly put the potatoes down and darted upstairs to retrieve my phone. I smiled when it flashed _Will _on the screen.

"Hey Will!" I greeted happily, picking up the potato and carried on with peeling it.

"Hey Iz. I just called to ask you when you wanted your guitar. I guess we kind of forgot to give it to you when you left with your dad." I wanted to smack my hand against my forehead; how could I have forgotten about my guitar?

"Erm, I'll come by and pick it up tomorrow if that's alright with you?" I asked, placing the potatoes in a saucer full of water.

"Sure. Do you want the address?" he suggested.

"Oh! Hold on!" I called, putting the potatoes on the oven. I scrambled to get a piece of paper and a pen.

"Ok; hit me." I told him. He gave me the address and I scribbled it down messily on the paper.

"So, how's everything going?" I asked, checking on the steak.

"Great, apart from the fact that people think that Scott and I are a couple." I laughed out loud as I heard Scott muttering profanities in the background.

"Typical." I muttered.

"What about you? How are you doing with your father?"

"Fine, I guess." I replied honestly, "It's just Monday I'm not looking forward to." Dread flooded my stomach at the thought of school.

"Ah, it'll be fine. Besides, you'll have me and Scott with you which is an extra bonus." He chuckled. I suddenly smelt something burning and saw that there was smoke coming out of the oven.

"Oh merda! La bistecca! La bistecca!" I screamed. _**("Oh shit! The steak! The steak!")**_I dropped my phone and dived for my oven gloves and opened the oven door swiftly. I quickly retrieved the steak and dropped in on the counter. I inspected it and sighed in relief as I saw that I had only burned the outside a little bit. I rinsed out the potatoes and cut up the steak. I grabbed two dishes out of the cupboard and put the food on them; Charlie should be home any minute.

I put the plates on the table and picked up my phone again.

"Izzy! What's happened?" Will was screaming frantically into the phone.

"It's alright." I reassured him, glancing at the steak on my plate, "I burned a bit of the steak, that's all."

"What are we going to do with you?" He sighed dramatically.

"It was your fault!" I accused him.

"My fault?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes; you were distracting me." We continued bickering until Charlie came home which was a few minutes later. I said goodbye to Will and gave my love to Scott and hung up the phone.

"What's that?" Charlie asked, hanging up his gun belt and stepping slowly into the kitchen. I didn't blame him for being wary; Renée wasn't exactly the best cook.

"It's steak and potatoes." I smiled at him. He sat down and picked up his fork carefully, taking a bite of the steak.

"Mmm, this is good." He complimented, taking another bite. I looked down sheepishly and started eating my portion.

"Busy day?" I asked, trying to start conversation. Charlie simply shrugged and grunted in response. I rolled my eyes and we continued to eat in silence. Once we were finished, Charlie stood up, stretched and went over to the fridge.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind but I've invited Billy Black and his son, Jacob to come over tomorrow. You remember them, don't you?" He asked, grabbing a beer and closing the fridge again. A fuzzy memory came to my mind of a young tanned boy making mud pies with me.

"Yeah, I remember them." But then I frowned. "Erm, I might be out tomorrow." I told Charlie, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Where are you going?" He asked, narrowing his eyes slightly and opening his can, taking a sip.

"I need to collect my guitar from Scott and Will's place." I shrugged. I gathered the dishes and cutlery together and walked over to the sink.

"You play guitar?" Charlie spluttered. I turned around and glared slightly at him.

"Yes." I said defensively. Charlie held his hands up in mock surrender and trudged into the lounge. I started cleaning the dishes when I heard the T.V. come on in the other room. I continued to wash the dishes, excited about seeing Scott and Will again tomorrow. Once I was done, I dried my hands and looked at the clock; it was only six.

I sighed and shuffled into the lounge with Charlie. I saw him sitting on the recliner, sipping his beer whislt watching the screen intently. I sighed quietly and sat down on the sofa, curling my legs underneath me. I glanced up at the screen and watched baseball with Charlie for two hours until I decided to call it a night. I climbed upstairs and got changed into my pyjamas. I crawled under my sheets and turned off my light. I relaxed into the matress and buried myself in my soft sheets, looking forward to tomorrow.

**xoxox**

My eyes cracked open as I felt the warmth of the sun heat them up. I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes, looking at my clock.

**08:32**

"Haha; I beat you today." I told it sleepily. I yawned and streched until I felt my bones crack. I did my daily routine of brushing my teeth and washing my face. I went back into my room and slipped on a long sleeved blue and white stripy top with dark blue skinny jeans with my purple converse shoes. I tied up my laces, brushed my hair into a plat and grabbed my leather jacket. I creeped down the stairs so I didn't wake Charlie and snuck into the kitchen. Once again, I grabbed a bowl of Cheerio's and downed it quickly. I put the bowl in the sink and checked the time on my phone. It was just past nine in the morning so I wrote a quick note for Charlie:

_**Gone to Will and Scott's place. Be back around 3.**_

_**Izzy.**_

I stuck it to the fridge and then grabbed my house keys. As I went to the front door, I noticed that an envelope had been pushed through the door. I picked it up and saw that it was addressed to 'Izzy Sinclair'. Shrugging, I opened the envelope and a familiar set of keys dropped into my hand. As soon as I registered them, I gasped and launched myself through the door. Parked in the driveway was my car.

"Oh mio Dio! E 'la mia auto! La mia macchina!" I squealed, not caring if I had woken anybody up. _**("Oh my God! It's my car! My car!") **_I ran towards it at full speed and dived into the driver's seat. I ran my hands along the dashboard and the steering wheel, remembering how it felt. I revved up the engine and sighed closing my eyes; I had missed that sound so much. I pulled out of the driveway and sped towards Port Angeles, singing along to the radio all the way there.

**xoxox**

"Where the hell is number fifty three?" I muttered as I walked down the long corridor. I had arrived at Will and Scott's hotel but I couldn't find door fifty three. I turned left and saw fifty two and then...fifty three!

"Yes!" I whispered, doing a little happy dance. I cleared my throat dramatically and banged loudly on the door.

"What the hell?" I heard muffled shouts from the other side of the door and sniggered. Suddenly, somebody flung open the door and I came face to face with Will.

"Izzy?" He asked groggily, rubbing his eye.

"Good morning starshine; the earth says hello!" I sang merrily. I skipped passed him and looked aroud at the boxes that filled the apartment. "Where's Scott?" I turned around to face Will.

"He decided not to get up." Will waved over to a locked door.

"But it's eleven in the morning!" I whined. Will simply shrugged and went into another room. I tiptoed over to Scott's door and pressed my ear to the wood, laughing quietly as I heard his loud snores. I stepped back a few paces and kicked the door down.

"DOG PILE!" I shouted and ran over to a sleeping Scott. Before he even had time to wake up I jumped on him.

"ARGH!" Will shouted as he jumped on Scott as well.

"BLOODY HELL!" Scott screamed as he got us both in a headlock. We continued play fighting on the bed for half an hour until Scott decided that he needed to get changed.

"Where's my guitar?" I asked as Scott shut his door, excitement bubbling in my voice. Scott shook his head and laughed as he went over to one of the boxes. I started bouncing in place and then screamed when I saw my guitar case. I speedily grabbed it out of Scott's hands and placed it on the floor, opening it and revealing my beloved guitar.

"Oh, my friend; how much I've missed you." I whispered to it, stroking the wood.

"Oh boy; she's talking to guitars now!" Scott shouted and I heard Will's laughter coming from their kitchen.

"Shut up Scott! I'd rather talk to a guitar than talk to drums!" I told him. He looked down in embarrasment and mumbled something about going to help Will in the kitchen. I took out my guitar and grabbed my pluck and started strumming a few chords.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Will suggested, coming in with two cups of hot chocolate. I put my guitar away carefully and stood up, taking the hot mug off him gently.

"Thanks, and I'm up for a movie." I nodded my head. "Which one were you thinking about?" I asked, taking a sip of the heavenly drink.

"SAW!" Scott exclaimed as he ran to the DVD player with _SAW I _in his hands. Will and I looked at each other. We rolled our eyes.

"Saw." We both stated and grinned.

For the next two hours, we ate popcorn and laughed at the horror movie. Because we were in the mood, we decided to watch _SAW II _just for laughs and got a good kick out of that one as well. Once the movie was over, I glanced at my phone and saw it was quarter to three.

"Sorry guys, this is the part where I say bye." I sighed and stood up. I grabbed my guitar case as Will and Scott followed me to the door.

"School tomorrow." Scott grinned.

"Ugh, don't remind me." I muttered. I kissed them both on the cheek and said my goodbyes.

"Don't forget we're picking you up at eight fifteen sharp!" Will called out.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" I laughed and turned right to the stairs.

**xoxox**

As I parked in the drive, I noticed that there was another car parked in front of the house; it looked like a Rabbit. I smacked my palm against my head as I remembered that Billy and Jacob Black were here. I got out of the car and fetched my guitar from my trunk. I locked the car and unlocked the house. Once I was in, I set down my guitar and locked the door, heading into the lounge.

With Charlie was a man with tan skin and long black hair, situated in a wheelchair. His face looked old but wise. Sitting on the sofa was a boy of about sixteen. He too had tan skin and long black hair. It then clicked in my head that this must be Billy and Jacob.

"Izzy!" Charlie greeted. "You remember Billy Black?" He gestured over to the man in the wheelchair.

"Of course." I smiled and waved at him.

"Izzy?" Billy asked in a confused voice, glancing at Charlie for an explanation.

"She changed her name to Izzy Sinclair." Charlie shrugged.

"And you must be Jacob." I said, turning to the younger boy.

"That's me." He grinned, his voice husky and deep. We talked for a while about our embarrasing childhood until the grown-ups decided to put the football on. I sighed and decided to make dinner. I headed into the kitchen and started cooking pasta which I had found yesterday in the back of one of the cupboards.

"You play?" Jacob asked. I turned around and saw him looking at my guitar case.

"Yeah, I do." I smiled. He looked up at me and grinned, walking over to me.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced." He stated. He stuck his hand out. "I'm Jacob Black, but please, call me Jake." I smiled and placed my hand in his.

"I'm Izzy Sinclair." I smiled. After that we chatted for a bit while I made pasta, keeping an extra close eye on it as I didn't want a repeat of the steak incident. We discussed cars and things to do around Forks and La Push. But then we moved onto a subject that I didn't want to talk about.

"So, why did you change your name to Izzy?" Jake asked curiously. I stopped stiring the pasta and felt my muscles lock into place. I coughed slightly.

"It's complicated." I choked and Jake patted my back.

"That bad, huh?" He asked teasingly.

"Non avete idea." I whispered darkly. _**("You have no idea.")**_ He cocked his head to the side slightly but I smiled at him. I finished the pasta and dished it up, giving sizable portions to everyone. After being complimented on my cooking, Jake helped me clean up by splashing me occasionally and of course, I splashed back.

All too soon, it was reaching nine in the evening and Billy and Jake had to go.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked hopefully; I really enjoyed tonight with Jake. He shook his head sadly.

"Unfortunately, no. I go to school off the reservation." He said.

"Oh." I felt my spirits drop a little. "Maybe some other time." I smiled at him. He grinned back, hugged me and headed out to the Rabbit.

"It was nice to see you again Izzy." Billy smiled. I hugged him too and watched as they both drove away.

"That was a nice evening." Charlie commented.

"Mmm." I trailed. I turned around and picked up my guitar. I carried it upstairs and placed it by my desk. I got changed into my pyjamas and brushed my teeth. After shouting good night to Charlie, I got under the bedsheets and felt my body tremble slightly, knowing that tomorrow, I would be going back to school.


	5. And So, We Meet Again

Chapter 5: And So, We Meet Again

Sitting at the breakfast table, I shakily took another bite of my cereal and chewed it slowly. I had been up since four because I couldn't sleep; knowing that going to school was inevitable. I had showered for at least an hour, convincing myself to go to and not to chicken out and had spent another hour carefully painting my nails black, along with straightening my hair. I held on to the hope that they wouldn't recognise me.

I looked down at myself and saw my dark blue skinny jeans and black converse shoes. I had decided to wear a sap green tank top, accompanied by my leather jacket, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows.

The cereal churned in my stomach and I couldn't eat anymore. I dumped it in the sink and sat back down, my right leg bouncing up and down. I drummed my fingers against the table top nervously and chewed on my bottom lip, waiting for Will and Scott to pick me up. I glanced at the clock;

**08:01**

School started at 08:50 and I still had to get my schedule. In a split second decision, I went over to the cupboard and grabbed an orange flavoured energy drink. I quickly stuffed it in my bag when I heard a knock on the door.

I slowly turned around to face the door. I gulped and stiffly went over to the door. I took a deep breath and opened it to see a smiling Will and Scott.

"Good morning!" they sang, smiles on their faces, but when they saw me, their smiles dropped.

"What's wrong?" Scott asked, gently pushing past Will.

"Nervous." I mumbled, looking down and going back into the kitchen, leaving the door open for them to come in.

"Oh, Izzy." Scott sighed, engulfing me in a hug. I felt another set of arms wrap around us and looked up to see Will hugging us too.

"I thought you were over them?" Will raised an eyebrow as they let me go.

"So did I." I shrugged.

"Well!" Scott clapped his hands together. "This calls for some last minute motivation." We went back by the front door.

"Huh?" I glanced up at Will who grinned at me. I turned to face Scott again and saw his palm facing flat towards me.

"Punch it." He said seriously.

"What?" I asked.

"Izzy, punch my hand." Scott said, pushing it closer to me. I lifted my fist and feebly punched it.

"No, no, no." Will shook his head like a parent scolding their child. "That wasn't a punch. C'mon Izzy, remember your karate; you're a black belt for Heaven's sake!" He stood beside Scott and took Scott's palm.

"Now, think of something that makes you really angry; that makes your blood boil." He hesitated for a moment. "Think about what **they **did to you. They drove you out of your home for no reason. Think Iz; remember the pain you felt for just being you." By the end of his speech, all I saw was red. With a low growl I pulled my fist back and punched Scott's palm extremely hard.

"OW!" Scott yelped and clutched his hand to his chest. The anger left me and guilt took its place.

"Oh my God, Scott! I'm so sorry!" I started to walk towards him to nurse his hand when he held his hand out for me to stop. He gasped a couple of times until he started laughing.

"I'm fine!" he chuckled, waving his 'injured' hand to prove it.

"Si completa e assoluta culo Scott Thorp!" I shouted at him, banging his chest with my fists. _**("You complete and utter ass Scott Thorp!")**_

"Woah, slow down!" He teased, pinning my wrists. I stuck my tongue out at him childishly.

"Feel better?" Will asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. All nervousness had evaporated and my confidence returned.

"Let's go kick some ass!" I shouted.

"WOO!" Scott punched the air and ran outside. I laughed with Will and grabbed my bag. We went outside and I ran straight over to my car. I sat down inside of it and put my bag on the passenger seat, sticking my keys into the ignition.

"Hey, Iz." Scott called out of his window. I rolled mine down and stuck my head out.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Race ya." He smirked and sped off. I quickly reversed and sped after him. It was neck and neck virtually all the way through until I took a big risk and drove in the other lane. I drove past Scott and waved at him, laughing as he looked at me in disbelief. I saw the school gates coming up and I skillfully turned. I beeped my horn in victory, ignoring all the looks the students were giving me. I parked my car and turned my engine off just as Scott pulled up. I looked in my rear-view mirror and caught students gawping at our cars. I sighed and grabbed my bag.

I opened the door of the car at the same time that Scott did. Ignoring the eyes staring at us, I went up to Scott's face and smiled.

"I think I won." I said innocently. He scowled at me and I saw a smug looking Will getting out of the Jeep .

"Told you she'd win." He sauntered past us, presumably to the office.

"Dude!" Scott exclaimed as we went to the office too. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

"Whatever gave you that impression?" Will loooked over his shoulder to wink at me. I laughed, still ignoring the stares we were recieving. After more arguing between Will and Scott, we finally made it in to the office.

"Hello; how can I help you?" A plump, red haired woman behind the desk asked us.

"Hello; my name is William Blackwell and this is Scott Thorp-" he gestured towards Scott, "-and Izzy Sinclair." He waved towards me. "We've come to collect our schedules." She glanced at both of us.

"S'up." Scott greeted as I made the peace sign at her.

"Erm, yes, well, here you go. You need to get these slips signed by all of your teachers and hand them back to me at the end of the day." She handed Will some pieces of paper and he nodded, leading us back outside. As I looked around, I noticed that the boys were staring at me with their jaws wide, eyes filled with lust, yet all the girls were doing the same to Scott and Will. I rolled my eyes as Will handed us our schedules. I looked down at mine;

_**Izzy Sinclair**_

_**English – Mr**__**. Varner – Building 3**_

_**History – Mr. Wilmore – Building 2**_

_**Home Economics – Ms. Parks – Bulding 5**_

_**Spanish – **__**Señorita Goff – Building 4**_

_**Lunch**_

_**Biology – Mr. Banner – Building 6**_

_**Gym – Coach Clapp – Gymnasium**_

I smiled when I saw that I had Gym; I was incredibly good at sports. I glanced at Will and Scott's timetables;

_**William Blackwell**_

_**Maths – Mr. Harvey – Building 1**_

_**History – Mr. Wilmore – Building 2**_

_**English – Mr. Varner – Building 3**_

_**Chemistry – Mr. Brown – Building 6**_

_**Lunch**_

_**Spanish – **__**Señorita Goff – Building 4**_

_**Gym – Coach Clapp – Gymnasium**_

_**Scott Thorp**_

_**History – Mr**__**. Wilmore – Building 2**_

_**Physics – Mr. Butler – Building 6**_

_**English – Mr. Varner – Building 3**_

_**Spanish – Señorita Goff – Building 4**_

_**Lunch**_

_**Maths – Mr. Harvey – Building 1**_

_**Gym – Coach Clapp – Gymnasium**_

"Great, so me and Will have History together, me and Scott have Spanish together and we all have lunch and Gym together!" I sighed.

"And we have English together." Scott smiled and punched Will's shoulder.

"Hang on; how come you don't have Maths?" Will raised an eyebrow at me.

"Charlie was kind enough to let me switch, seeing as I'm crap at it." I smirked and the boys laughed.

"That's true." Scott chuckled and I slapped his chest. Suddenly, the bell rang and students started piling in to the school. We all glanced at each other and slung our bags over our shoulders. We waltzed down the corridor and found our lockers were right next to each other; sweet!

"Well, I'll see you guys later." I said and lightly punched my fist against theirs. I sauntered through the crowd and their eyes widened. The girls glared at me in envy whilst the guys were checking me out; eww.

I found Building 3 with ease and walked in to the classroom. Some of the boys high-fived each other as I walked in and I rolled my eyes.

"Hello." I greeted as I went up to a balding old man with piercing grey eyes. "I'm Izzy Sinclair, the new student. I believe you need to sign this." I said in my sickly sweet voice. He grumbled and took the slip out of my hands and signed it.

"Welcome to Forks High School." He muttered in a bored voice. "You may take a seat next to Ms. Brandon. Raise your hand Alice." I turned around and froze after seeing a black halo of hair.

_Flashback__ (Bella 11 years old)_

"_Miss," I raised my hand, "can I go to the toilet?"_

"_Of course." She smiled. I smiled back and went out of the classroom, making my way to the toilets. I kept checking behind me in case one of __**them **__showed up. I sighed in relief as I entered the toilets, unscathed. I peeked in and saw no one was in there. I sighed again, the fear evaporating, and went into one of the cubicals._

_However, nothing could have prepared me for what was about to happen. Once I was finished, I opened my cubical door and came face to face with Alice Brandon._

"_Hello Smelly." She grinned evilly. My eyes widened as she pinned me against the side of the cubical. I screamed and kicked but it didn't help. She pulled my head in a headlock and kicked the back of my knee, giving me a dead-leg. As my knee gave out, I found my head just above an open toilet._

"_No! Ple-" But I was cut off as she dunked my head into the murky water I held my breath as best as I could but then she flushed it. The horrible liquid went into my mouth and I couldn't get any oxygen. I started seeing black around my vision when she suddenly pulled me out, cackling widly. She pushed me down n the floor as I spat out the liquid. She leaned in and sniffed my head._

"_No; still smells like crap." She laughed and skipped merrily out of the toilets. _

_End Flashback_

My hands curled into fists as the evil pixie raised her hand with an excited expression on her face. I reluctantly stalked towards her and slammed my bag on my side of the desk. I roughly got out my notebook and pencil case and shoved my bag under the desk. I pulled my seat out sharply and sat down in it, not glancing once at the horrid bitch beside me.

"Hi!" A high soprano voice chimed. I sat rigidly in my seat and stiffly turned to face her. She hadn't changed much; her spiky black hair shining and her green eyes twinkling.

"I'm Alice Brandon; you must be Izzy." She declared. I gritted my teeth and glared at her. "We're going to be great friends!" My hands curled into fists and my eyes narrowed into slits. How dare she think we can be friends after what she had done to me! I looked her small frame up and down and I grimaced; she was a girly girl.

"What?" I asked, my voice scarily monotone. She seemed to sense my mood change as her smile dropped a little, but it didn't stop her from trying.

"Do you want to hang out at lunch?" She asked, bouncing in her seat. My knuckles turned white and my vision staring turning red.

"I don't hang around with freaks." I spat viciously at her. Her smile completely dropped and she stopped bouncing as her eyes filled with tears. I snorted at her; the amount of times she had made me cry and laughed about it; I felt no sympathy towards her.

I glared at her once more before I snapped my head towards Mr. Varner who had begun his class. Throughout the lesson, Alice didn't speak to me once, but I could still see the hurt on her face; yeah right, like I cared. Mr. Varner gave me the books I would need and we were all told to make notes on his lecture on Hamlet. I stared at the clock, willing the lesson to go faster so I didn't have to sit by the evil pixie.

As soon as the bell rang, I was out of my seat and bolted out of the door. I ran all the way to my locker and slumped against it, rubbing my forehead in frustration; did I have to put up with her for the whole year?

"Hey stranger." I heard a deep voice say. I smiled and looked up into Will's blue eyes.

"Hey yourself." I smiled.

"Shall we?" He asked, offering me his arm. I chuckled slightly and got off the locker.

"We shall." I said in a British accent. I linked my arm through his as we made our way to Building 2. Once we entered, we went up to Mr. Wilmore and he signed our slips, telling us to introduce ourselves.

"I'm William Blackwell. I moved here from Phoenix, Arizona with my best friends Izzy and Scott." Will said. I smiled and shook my head. I stepped in front of him and turned to face the class when I spotted a face I really didn't want to see.

_Flashback (Bella 12 years old)_

_I set down my tray on my table and sat down on my seat, ignor__ing the sniggering in the cafeteria. I picked up my apple and took a bite of it as I flicked open 'Wuthering Heights' and began to read it. _

"_Oh my God! Is she still eating? She needs to lose weight, not put more on!" I heard none other than Jasper Whitlock say as he passed my table._

"_Apples are healthy, you idiot." I muttered under my breath, but he tensed, stopping where he was. My eyes widened and I gulped nervously; no way could he have heard me. He slowly twisted his head and glared at me, his face twisted in fury. I cowered in my seat, my palms going sweaty._

"_What. Did. You. Call. Me?" He asked, stalking slowly towards me. I looked around and saw the cafeteria had gone quiet, watching the display. I glanced towards __**their **__table and saw them all will angry faces, glaring holes thorugh me._

"_I-" I stuttered, watching as Jasper came closer. I shrunk back even further, trying to put as much space between us as I could. Suddenly, he picked up my bowl of custard._

"_Why don't you eat this, Smelly?" he shouted, hurling the bowl at me. The custard hit my face, dripping down my top and matting into my hair. I tried to wipe it off with my stubby fingers when the whole cafeteria started throwing food at me. I clutched my bag and book at battled off the crowd, running from the room with tears streaking my face. The last thing I heard was the uproar of laughter from the cafeteria as I fled._

_End Flashback_

I felt someone pinch my arm and I yelped. I turned around and smacked Will in the chest. Mr. Wilmore cleared his throat and I huffed, turning back around and plastering a sweet smile on my face.

"My name is Izzy Sinclair, and my step father is a baseball player called Phil Dwyer." I saw some sporty people look at me with shock in their eyes; obviously they had heard of him.

"Very good, now you may sit at the desk behind Ms. Bell and Mr. Whitlock." Mr. Wilmore told us and I had to fight back the urge to scream. I glanced at Will as we made our way to the desk we were told to sit at. Once we sat, Will nudged me.

"What?" I whispered as Mr. Wilmore started his lecture.

"You ok? You sort of spaced out back there." Will whispered back. I sighed and moved my eyes to Jasper, who was sitting in front of us. He had grown taller and gained a bit of muscle, but his hair was still the same. Will followed my eyes with his and tensed up when he saw Jasper.

"Is that him?" he hissed in a low voice. I shook my head, knowing to whom he was refering.

"It's Jasper." I mouthed to him. He looked back at Jasper with hatred in his eyes, but then he smirked. I cocked my head at him as he leaned into his back for something but then smiled when I saw what he had in his hand. I took the straw from him and ripped off a piece of paper from my note book. I shredded it into small bits and popped a bit in my mouth. I chewed it slightly and brought the straw to my lips. I blew as hard as I could and the sticky paper went flying and landed on Jasper's neck. He turned around and we quickly put our straws away before he glanced curiously at us and then turned back to face Mr. Wilmore. Will and I smiled evilly.

Throughout the lesson, we took it in turns to blow spitballs at Jasper's back and each time he faced us, the annoyance became clearer and clearer on his face. The was five minutes until the end when Will shot another one and Jasper's back, but this time, he didn't turn around to face us. Instead, I saw his fists curl under his desk and his body trembled slightly; poor Ms. Bell was cowering on the edge of her seat. I motioned for Will to stop and handed him back his straw, but he shook his head, saying that i could keep it. As the bell went, Jasper stood up and stalked out of the door, muttering profanities under his breath. We waited until he was outside until Will and I burst into laughter, high-fiving each other as we went out of the classroom. After a good giggle, we split, heading to our separate classes with a promise from Will that he would tell Scott everything that had happened.

I ventured over to Building 5, hoping that I wouldn't bump into anymore of **them**. I managed to slide through the door and gave my slip to Ms. Parks. She signed it happily and gave it back to me with a smile on her lips.

"Welcome to Home Economics Izzy, if you'd just like to take a seat by Ms. Hale-" I didn't hear anymore of what she said as another memory engulfed me.

_Flashback (Bella 9 years old)_

_I was internally rejoicing at the fact that Edward Masen was sick today. I knew the others would be lost without his leadership, so that meant I could have a full day without any beatings._

_The morning passed in a blur as I was so happy. No one had approached me and I was pretty sure no one would. I walked to lunch with a subtle bounce in my step, ignoring the looks and grimaces I was getting from other students. I quickly stopped by my locker to put my books away when I was suddenly pushed against them. My back hit the lockers with a loud 'bang' and I groaned as I felt the locks dig into my back. I glanced up wearily and stared into the ice blue eyes of Rosalie Hale._

"_Edward told me to send you a message." She sneered. She grabbed my hair and pushed me back into the lockers once more. She drew her fist back and punched my stomach, knocking the wind out of me._

"_He also told me to give you this." She smacked my face, "And this." She kneed my stomach in the same place, "Oh, and this is from me." She made a fist and snapped it in to my jaw. I heard a distinct crack and pain exploded in my jaw. I cried out to the empty corridor and clutched my jaw, sobbing at Rosalie's perfect form strutting to the cafteria._

_End Flashback_

Ms. Parks looked at me in concern as I shook my head, expelling the memory from my mind. I held my head high and waltzed towards the queen bitch, who was looking at her nails. I sat down next to her, not bothering to look at her. The lesson began and I started zoning out, grateful that Rosalie was ignoring me.

"Where did you get that jacket from?" A femenine voice sounded. I glanced to my right and saw Rosalie looking at me expectedly.

"Phoenix." I replied in a cold voice.

"I only asked you a question." She muttered. I ignored her for a while until she started again.

"What kind of a name is _Izzy_ anyway?" she asked. I took in a deep, calming breath.

"I don't know; what kind of a name is _Rosalie_?" I asked in distaste. She huffed and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. I mimicked her, flipping my hair over my shoulder and huffing dramatically. I saw her tense and heard her teeth snap together and I smirked, satisfied with my work. These people seemed more bearable than they did a few years ago.

I decided to make my way to Spanish on my own, deciding that I would meet Scott there. As I walked, I felt someone bump in to me. I was knocked slightly until a pair of arms caught me. I quickly swatted them away and re-adjusted myself once they let go.

"Hey." The voice said. It sounded strangely familiar so I glared up in the familiar eyes of Mike Newton.

"What?" I asked in irritation; why couldn't these people just leave me alone!

"Woah, sorry babe." He smiled. I glared more fiercely at him.

"I am _not_ your babe." I hissed menacingly at him. I saw a flash of fear in his eyes but he quickly covered it up with a smile.

"I'm Mike Newton." He held his hand out for me to shake. Memories of him tormenting me in my childhood flashed before my eyes. I turned around and stalked off to class, ignoring his calls for me to come back.

I entered Spanish and thankfully, Señorita Goff didn't make me introduce myself. Scott wasn't here yet so I grabbed an empty desk and put my bag on the seat next to me, saving it for Scott. I felt a paper ball hit my back.

"Hey, new girl!" I heard a voice whisper. I turned in my seat and held in a scream.

_Flashback (Bella 10 years old)_

_I held in the tears as the girls giggled about my weight. I quickly put my Gym kit on and then headed in to the Gymnasium. I shakily sat__ on the bleachers and noticed Emmett McCartey growling at me. The Coach blew his whistle and gathered us around. I made my way over, pushing my glasses higher up on my face._

"_Ok kids. Today we'll be practising soccer. Get into teams and practise shooting." He sent us off and I stood awkwardly; nobody wanted me in their group. Suddenly, a heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder, amking me wince._

"_Come on Smelly; come with us." Emmett smirked along with Mike Newton, Tyler Crowley and Eric Yorkie._

"_Yeah Belly; come with us." Mike sniggered as he and Emmett dragged me towards the goal posts._

"_I voted Smelly to be goal keeper!" Emmett boomed, pushing me in between the posts. Eric and Tyler kept me in place, making sure I didn't make a run for it, whilst Mike and Emmett went to get some footballs. Once they returned, Emmett put the ball down and reeled back. Eric and Tyler quickly jumped out of the way as Emmett kicked the ball with a lot of force. It went flying towards me and hit me right in the middle of my face. I whimpered and clutched my nose, feeling the blood trickling down into my mouth._

"_Nice shot, Emmett!" Mike praised, "My turn." He stated and kicked the ball towards my stomach, winding me. Eric and Tyler proceeded to kick balls at me, bruising my body, turning it black and blue._

_End Flashback_

"Hi!" He said, waving at me. My eyes widened at his figure. He had added muscles and was the size of a tank! He grinned at me, dimples indenting his cheeks. I abruptly turned back around and sighed in relief when Scott waltzed up to me. I motioned towards Emmett with my eyes and he stopped, his eyes widening. He looked at me, then to Emmett pointedly and I nodded my head once. His nostrils flared as he glared behind me at Emmett and didn't stop glaring until he sat next to me. I pushed my bag under my desk and stared in front of me.

"Emmett." I murmured lowly to him and he nodded his head in acknowledgment. Señorita Goff announced that we were doing a Spanish test. Everyone groaned in protest but then demanded silence as she handed out the papers. I glanced down at my paper and smirked, knowing this would be easy. I finished within ten minutes and sat back in my seat, ready to help Scott if he needed it.

"Psst!" I heard from behind me. I ignored it and carried on relaxing. "Psst! New girl!" I heard McCartey whisper. I growled in annoyance and snapped my head to face him.

"What?" I asked in annoyance. He seemed taken back slightly, but sheepishly held up his test paper.

"I don't know any of the answers!" He whispered helplessly to me.

"So?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You have to help me." I scoffed at him, "No, please! You don't understand; my mom will _kill _me if I don't pass at least one class this year!" He begged, trying to use puppy eyes on me. I should let him drown, let him face the wrath of his mom, but instead, I had a better idea.

"Please?" Emmett mouthed again. I sighed and held my hand out for his paper. He smiled in thanks as I quickly turned onto my desk with his exam paper. I smirked as I started writing…_inappropriate _phrases of Spanish as his answers. We only had minutes left so I quickly handed Emmett's paper back to him. He glanced at it and then grinned.

"Thank you so much!" He whispered. I turned back around and saw Scott glaring at me.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"Why the hell did you help him?" He asked, his face going red.

"Who says I helped him?" I questioned.

"You wrote down the answers on his test sheet!"

"I didn't say if they were the right ones." I told him. Realisation dawned on his features and he grinned at me, approving of my actions. The bell rang and Señorita Goff collected the papers. She let us go to lunch and Scott and I ran to the lockers to meet Will. We laughed all the way there, wondering how Señorita Goff would react to Emmett's…_words_.

"What the hell's got you two laughing like hyenas?" Will asked as he put his books in his locker.

"Bella risposta carta di prova Emmett McCartey per lui in spagnolo, ma mettere alcune frasi scortesi, invece!" Scott laughed out. _**("Bella answered Emmett McCartey's test paper for him in Spanish, but put some rude phrases instead!")**_ Will burst out laughing too and the three of us were in hysterics as we entered the cafeteria. Everyone's conversations died down as we walked in, still chuckling from my recent stunt. We ignored the stares as we paid for our food and sat at one of the deserted tables at the back. We ate and laughed at some pranks that we could pull on them when I glanced at **their **table. Only four of them were there; the ones I had already run into. Alice, Jasper and Rosalie were glaring at us harshly where as Emmett looked confusingly between us and them. I prayed to whatever God that was listening that **he **wouldn't be here today, or even better; **he **was never coming back.

Lunch finished pretty quickly and I was on my way to Biology in Building 6. I whistled on my way there, knowing that I could take on whatever challenge was left to me; I was sick at Biology. I opened the door labelled _**Mr. Banner **_and opened it. But as soon as I did, my hand gripped tighter on the handle as I saw a mass of bronze hair looking down at a book. Painful memories flung themselves at me as I took in his pale skin and strong arms. I gulped and closed my eyes as I remembered his fists hitting me, his feet kicking me and his laughter echoing at the sound of my pain. My vision turned red in an instant; I would _not _let him ruin my life again. I stepped into the classroom and slammed the door shut loudly, causing everyone to jump and look up. A pair of emerald green eyes connected with mine and I had the strongest urge to dive out of the classroom and never return. I looked away from him and stiffly walked towards Mr. Banner as people started whispering, no doubt about my abrupt entrance.

"Can I help you?" Mr. Banner asked, eying me carefully as I got to his desk. I silently handed him my slip, not trusting myself to talk. He read through the slip quickly and nodded to himself, signing it.

"You can take a seat next to Mr. Masen." He pointed to **him.** I snarled lowly and he seemed shocked by my behavior, but I didn't care; he was making me sit by the person who ruined my life. I stalked up the isle, glaring murderously at people who were staring at me. I sat by the devil reluctantly and threw my bag under the desk. I felt his eyes boring holes in the side of my head but I refused to look at him. Mr. Banner started his lecture when **he **decided that I was worth his time.

"Hello." His voice was quiet, like music and velvet in one, "I'm Edward Masen." The memories flashed again and I gasped, tensing up my muscles to stop me from hitting him. I folded my arms tightly across my chest, pretending that he didn't exist, which was almost impossible.

"Hey, are you ok?" I heard him ask. I held back the urge to kick him.

"Just peachy." I replied icily. I couldn't stand how close he was to me so, scraping my chair, I moved to the very edge of the desk, refusing to acknowledge him.

Biology went incredibly slow and I felt my anger bubbling as **he **kept glancing at me every now and then. He kept trying to make small talk, but I flat out ignored him, reminding myself that I would not be ruined by him again.

I felt sweet relief as the shrill bell rang throughout the school. I practically flew out of the door and started running to the changing rooms. I was almost there when a hand caught my arm. My skin burned when whoever it was made contact with me and I glared upwards at the stupid student. I snapped my jaws together and breathed deeply when I realised it was **him**.

"What the hell is your problem?" He asked exasperated. I knew I must have been annoying them all with my odd behavior, but they all deserved it in my books. I glared at him, right in his emerald eyes.

"You." I spat. I ripped my arm out of his grasp and continued to the changing rooms at a fast pace, feeling his eyes on my back. Irritation washed over me when I was informed that I didn't have to get changed today because I didn't have a kit; I really wanted to show them what I could do, but I guess I would have to wait. I went straight into the Gym when I saw Scott and Will sitting on the bleachers.

"Hey!" I waved and ran over to them. They each gave me hugs and I sat down, telling them about Biology.

"Damn!" Will laughed.

"I wish I could have protected you." Scott said, irritation clear on his face.

"Nah, it's alright; I don't have to see them until tomorrow." I laughed; but I spoke too soon. The Gym class chose that moment to enter the Gym and me, Scott and Will cursed when we saw the _whole _of the group entering the Gym in their white tops and dark blue shorts. The 'Cullens', Mike, Tyler, Eric, Tanya, Lauren and Jessica all strolled in in a group. I saw about fifteen other people in there, but it was mainly dominated by the group we were glaring at. Alice noticed me glaring and pointed at me. I quickly put my head down and talked to Scott as I felt eleven pairs of eyes staring holes at me. It lasted for a whole minute before Coach Clapp eventually blew his whistle, shutting every body up. He announced that basketball would be their sport for a few weeks and I grinned; everyone at my old school knew I was great at basketball, even though netball was my best.

The class split up into two groups and they decided that it would be **them **verses the rest of the class. I watched as everyone attempted to dribble and pass the ball, the girls screaming if it got anywhere near them. Many shots were made, but only a few scored. It was too painful to watch.

"Stop, stop, stop!" I screamed. Coach blew the whistle and everyone looked at me in confusion, but some in annoyance; surprise surprise, it was **them**.

"You're doing it all wrong." I told them.

"And how are you supposed to know what's right?" Tanya Denali sneered; still as fake as ever, I see.

"Seeing as how you're looking at a basketball champion." I countered.

"It's true!" Will shouted and I put my thumb up to him.

"Then how would _you _suggest we do it?" Lauren Mallory spat. I looked around for her, knowing that she was the weakest player, even though she was one of the only girls actually trying; but I noticed that she wasn't respected as much as the other students

"You." I pointed at the girl with brown hair and thick glasses, "Come here please." Every body sniggered and whispered at how crap she was at basketball. I felt sympathy towards her, knowing what it felt like to be mocked.

"What's your name?" I asked when she was in front of me.

"Dork." Someone called and everyone laughed. She bit her lip and looked down. I glared at the boy who called her that and realised it was Tyler Crowley. With a straight face, I walked over to him and shook his hand.

"It's nice to meet you Dork, but I was asking for her name, not yours." I smiled. I heard a lot of "Oooh"s and as I walked back, I saw **his **lips twitch slightly.

"So, what's your name?" I asked again, softly.

"Angela." She replied quietly.

"Ok, Angela." I smiled. I led her over to the middle of the court and stood her in position.

"Now, watch carefully." I looked at the class and the Coach threw me the ball, an amused but fascinated smirk in his eye. I gave the ball to Angela and went behind her, guiding her with my hands which positions to stand in.

"And then you flick your wrist." I flicked her wrist and the ball went straigt into the basket. Everyone murmured in approval and I grabbed the ball again and gave it to Angela.

"Now, do it on your own." I told her. She swallowed and followed the positions that I'd showed the class. She flicked her wrist and the ball went in to the basket. The class cheered and applauded.

"Well done, Angela. I'm hear if you need to talk." I told her seriously and she surprised me by hugging me.

"Thank you." She whispered in my ear. She ducked her head and went back into the crowd.

"Teach me Izzy!" Someone shouted.

"No, me!" Others shouted. The Coach blew his whistle and said it was time to go in anyway. I quickly grabbed Will and Scott but the Coach wanted a word.

"That was some pretty impressive shooting out there Sinclair." He told me.

"Thanks Coach." I mumbled.

"How do you feel about joining the team?" He asked unexpectedly. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'll think about it." I replied. He nodded in approval and I took the opportunity to drag Will and Scott out of there. We ran back to the office and give Mrs. Cope our slips.

"Good day?" She asked, smiling at us.

"It's been...eventful." I said, smirking at Will and Scott who smirked back. Once she let us go, we ran out into the parking lot, which was deserted as the bell hadn't gone yet and jumped in our cars. I revved up my engine when Scott shouted my name.

"Race you to our flat!" He shouted and drove off.

"Cheater!" I laughed and sped after him. It would be great if I beat him two times in one day. I grinned at the thought.


	6. Consequences

Chapter 6: Consequences

"I knew I could beat you." I smiled smugly at Scott as he got out of his Jeep, his head hanging. We went upstairs to their flat and entered. All three of us put our bags down and collapsed on the sofa.

"So…" Will started.

"So…" I mimicked.

"Shall we jam?" Scott asked. I nodded my head enthusiastically, standing up and sitting in front of Will's keyboard. Will went on his guitar as Scott sat on his drums.

"What shall we play?" I questioned, running my fingers across the smooth keys. Will shrugged.

"I don't know; how about we make up a song?" he suggested. Back in Phoenix we used to write our own songs all the time.

"Cool." Scott and I said. So, we practised from four until six, tweaking parts of our song and running it through hundreds of times.

"Hey, why don't we perform this at school?" Scott suggested. We nodded our heads and continued with our work. Once it was perfected, I glanced at the clock and saw it was quarter past seven.

"Shit; Charlie!" I quickly grabbed my bag and ran to the door, flinging it open.

"See you guys tomorrow!" I called, running down the corridor and to the stairs. I managed to get to the parking lot and threw myself in the car, speeding back to Charlie's.

**xoxox**

"Where were you?" Charlie asked as soon as I walked through the door. Without thinking, he put his arms around me and crushed me into a hug. I was momentarily frozen until he quickly pulled away, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Um…I was with Will and Scott and I lost track of time; sorry." I apologised sheepishly. He nodded.

"There's pizza in the kitchen." He mumbled awkwardly, trailing back into the lounge. I sighed and went into the kitchen, grabbing a slice of pizza. I chewed it slowly as I contemplated what life would be like tomorrow. Hopefully I would make it out alive.

After putting out the rubbish and watching the T.V. with Charlie, I drowsily climbed upstairs to get some well earned rest.

**xoxox**

"Three in a row; what's happening to you, old man?" I teased as I met Scott in the parking lot. Once again, he had lost the race.

"Oh, ha-ha." He replied sarcastically. I laughed, but I could feel eyes on me. Curious, I turned and saw **them** staring at me with looks of anger from the guys and Rosalie and hurt from Alice.

"Oh dear." I sang, trying not to smile at them.

"What?" Will asked.

"I think I've upset a few bullies." I whispered, glancing at **them **again. I waved at them with a smile on my face and their stares turned to glares. We laughed and headed into the school, ignoring the glares.

I made my way to English and sat down next to a sullen Alice who had her arms folded across her chest. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Don't talk to me." I told her, cutting her off. She closed her mouth and jutted out her chin.

"Why do you hate me?" She whispered her voice breaking. For a split second I felt sympathy for her, but a short sharp trip to memory lane gave me back my cold attitude.

"Like I said yesterday; I don't hang around with freaks." I shrugged.

"But you don't even know me!" She cried. Mr. Varner glared at her and she mumbled an apology.

"Oh, I know you very well; believe me." I whispered darkly. She stared at me in confusion throughout the lesson and I started to get worried, fearing that she would recognise me. As the bell went, I swiftly glided out of class, ignoring her calls for me to come back. I went to History, not bothering to stop for Will and sat down, grabbing my equipment. Will arrived a few minutes later, silently sitting down next to me.

Mr. Wilmore started his lecture when suddenly, the door banged open. Jasper Whitlock stalked into the room, growling under his breath. As soon as he caught sight of me, he stopped and glared viciously. I wanted to shrink into something or cower away, but I stood my ground and glared back.

"Mr. Whitlock?" the teacher asked. Jasper snapped his head towards him.

"Sorry I'm late." He spoke between gritted teeth, "I had to comfort my girlfriend because she was crying." He snapped his head back to me, glaring and balling his hands into fists.

"Make sure you're not late to my lesson again." Mr. Wilmore said sternly. Jasper nodded stiffly and stalked to his seat, sitting down abruptly. He tightly folded his arms across is chest and stared blankly ahead at the board. Guilt started to overwhelm me; I hadn't meant to make Alice cry…

_No, remember what they did to you! _I shook my head and continued listening to Mr. Wilmore's lecture.

Once the bell rang, Jasper darted out of the door, giving me one last glare as he went. I sighed and sluggishly travelled to Home Economics, no doubt on having a confrontation with Rosalie. As I entered, I was met with a steely glare but I didn't react as I had anticipated it.

"You bitch." Rosalie spat as I sat down. I winced, not at the name, but as I remembered her saying that to me before. I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me?" I seethed, putting on my icy mask.

"You think you can just waltz in here after hurting Alice?" she hissed. I rolled my eyes and ignored her for the rest of the lesson. I kept feeling her eyes boring holes into the side of my head but I didn't care. They had hurt me and now it was time for revenge.

I ran to Spanish, now dreading how Emmett would react to his score; I didn't forget about the size of his muscles. As I sat down, I glanced at Emmett who grinned at me. Scott sat next to me as Señorita Goff handed out yesterday's tests. She smiled at me when she gave me mine and I glanced down, seeing the 'A' at the top. As she headed to Emmett, her smile turned into a fierce glare.

"See me after class." She ordered harshly. Emmett's smile turned to confusion as he glanced at his paper. I saw his face starting to go red with anger but I speedily faced the front before he could say anything to me. Shivers ran down my back and Scott held my hand under the table comfortingly. I thanked him with my eyes and he nodded.

The class was dismissed apart from Emmett who remained in his seat. I didn't dare look back at him as we went to meet Will by our lockers. We waited for five minutes before he showed up.

"Yo." Scott greeted. I smiled slightly before I heard the heavy footsteps of Emmett McCarty.

"What the hell are you playing at?" Emmett shouted as he got closer, his crumpled test sheet in his hand. Will and Scott stood protectively in front of me.

"Stay away from her." Will warned. Emmett completely ignored him.

"I trusted you with this!" he held up his test sheet, "I told you what would happen if I failed and I got a 'U'; a fucking 'U'!"

"That's not my problem!" I shouted back at him, pushing past the protective barrier of Will and Scott, "Maybe if you studied harder, you could have gotten the grade you needed!" We were both breathing heavily, trying to calm down. After several moments, he finally spoke.

"You know, I thought you were cool. I stuck up for you yesterday when the others were telling me about how mean and cruel you were. But now I see what they mean and I agree; you're just a selfish bitch." I felt tears spring to my eyes as he turned and stormed off to the canteen.

"Don't pay any attention to that dickhead." Will said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I nodded but I felt the tears start trickling down my face.

"I'm going to go to the toilet; I'll meet you by our table." I told them shakily. Without saying another word, I quickly strode into the girls toilets. I locked myself in a cubical and cried.

The little girl inside of me couldn't take this anymore. Given the chance, she would start over with them, accept them as friends. Looking back on my actions, I understood why they were angry with me. They had been nothing but polite yesterday and I responded by spitting in their faces.

Once my quiet sobs had calmed down, I heard the toilet door open and heard the giggling voices of Tanya, Lauren and Jessica.

"Did you hear about what Izzy Sincalir did to Alice?" Lauren asked.

"I know right; she's such a bitch!" Tanya replied. I pressed my lips in a tight line, getting sick of being called a bitch.

"Yeah, but I heard that Edward's _really _angry about it." Jessica said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he looks after Alice doesn't he? And he knows what she went through since that Swan kid left." I shuddered as they mentioned my old name.

"So, what's he going to do?" Lauren quizzed excitedly.

"I don't know, but they sit next to each other in Biology, so I think he's going to have a right go at her."

"I hope he does. After all, she's just an ugly plain slut." They all laughed and I heard their laughter fade away as they left the toilets. Anger started to bubble inside of me and I could feel my tough exterior taking control. I went out and leaned over the sinks, looking at myself in the mirror. I kept reminding myself that I wasn't a little girl anymore; I was a strong, independent woman who is facing her demons head on. Everything I have done to **them **so far is what they deserve. I didn't have to explain myself to them; but if it's a fight pretty boy wants, I'm game.

After pep-talking myself for another five minutes, I sauntered out of the bathroom and headed to the cafeteria. I spotted Will and Scott at our table and went straight over to them.

"You alright?" Scott asked as I sat down. I nodded my head mutely and took a slice of his pizza. I chewed it slowly and swallowed, feeling it slither down my throat; I felt sick. I put my head in my hands and took deep breaths.

"Izzy?" Will asked. I waved him away and folded my arms on the table and put my head on them.

"Oh God; they're staring again." Scott groaned.

"Who?" I asked, not raising my head from my arms.

"Who d'you think?" Scott said. I peeked under my arms and saw all five of **them **glaring at me. I saw that they were all comforting a crying Alice. I sighed and put my head back down. I didn't care anymore; I wasn't going to even acknowledge their existence.

After a lunch of awkward silences, the bell to Biology rang. I swallowed the lump in my throat and held my head high, marching towards the dreaded lesson. I got in front of the door and hesitated. I took a deep breath and put a fake smile on my face as I entered the classroom. I knew that **he **was already here as I could feel the powerful glare he was giving me, but I ignored him and sat down on my chair.

"What the fuck is your problem?" He hissed at me.

"My problem?" I asked.

"You upset my sister, throw spit balls at Jasper, be a bitch to Rosalie and me and purposely fail Emmett on his Spanish test!" he started getting slightly louder.

"So? It's not my problem." I said, checking my nails casually. I heard the seat next to me slam and I jumped, looking up as Edward Masen leaned over me dangerously.

"Not your problem? How the fuck is it not your problem? You've got him into this mess and you're pissing about with our feelings!" He shouted.

"Mr. Masen!" Mr. Banner shouted but I stood up and looked Edward in the eye.

"I have my reasons! I don't need to explain myself to you. And, ok, I'll admit that I did _purposely _do that to Emmett, but it's his own fault for not studying!" I screamed back.

"Both of you!" Mr. Banner shouted next to us, placing a hand on our shoulders. I shrugged him off.

"Screw this." I muttered. I picked up my bag and started walking towards the door.

"That's it! Get out of here; nobody wants you!" Edward shouted. I froze momentarily, feeling the tears coming back. I glanced over my shoulder and saw him trembling slightly, his hands curled in fists.

"I know." I whispered, shedding a single tear. Nobody wanted me here apart from Will and Scott. I saw a flash of remorse in Edward's eyes but he quickly recovered from it, twisting his perfect features into a scowl. I walked out of the classroom and didn't stop as I headed straight to the toilets. I dropped my bag and held on to the sinks as I sobbed and cried. Today was the first time I had cried since I had left here.

I looked up at my reflection in the mirror and was greeted by an ugly sight. My hair was tangled and messy, my face was red and blotchy and I saw the mascara which had run down to my cheeks. My body was trembling alarmingly. But, for a moment, I saw the little girl I was four years ago. I saw fear and sadness in her doe eyes, wishing tat she would escape from this hell.

I hated it. I hated how weak I was against them. I thought I had changed, I thought I was over them, but I realised that around them, I was still that frightened little girl. I was repulsed by my reflection, so I drew my fist back and punched the mirror, making it shatter into a thousand pieces. I screamed as shards of glass sliced into my fist, making me scream out in pain, but I didn't care. I punched all the mirrors in the toilets with both fists, watching the blood trickle down my arm. Tears blurred my vision as I moved to punching the wall, hating myself. Bloody marks were left on the wall where I punched. I screamed in agony and anger, knowing that I was doing damage to myself, but I didn't stop as I heard another scream.

I snapped my eyes to the door and saw Alice Brandon, staring at me in horror. I panted heavily and felt the tears stream down my face as I watched her carefully.

"Izzy?" she whispered quietly. I didn't respond. I felt tired and suddenly, my legs gave out. I collapsed onto a heap on the floor. I looked up and saw Alice staring down at me.

"What have you done?" she whispered, horror-struck. She looked around the bathroom which was covered in glass and my blood. She took in the shattered mirrors, gasping as tears filled her eyes.

"Go away." I whispered as she bent down to me.

"I want to help." She said, looking at my broken hands.

"I don't need any help." I spat, my voice rough. I sat up slowly and Alice held out her arms, ready to catch me if I fell. I looked up at her. She had tears in her eyes, but they seemed to be falling for me. Did she pity me? Feel sympathy?

"Don't look at me like that!" I snapped; I would rather her hate me than feel sympathy for me.

"Oh my God." I heard another voice breathe. I looked towards the door and saw Ms. Parks staring around. As soon as she took in my form, she rushed to my side, helping me up.

"What happened?" She asked quickly. I didn't answer as the pain in my arms kept shocking me. I whimpered and closed my eyes, hating how weak I looked in front of Alice.

"I-I don't know." Alice cried. "I came in here and found her curled up on the floor." I didn't hear anything else as I was rushed towards the nurse's office. People started shouting around me as I was half dragged, half carried to the bed in the nurse's office.

"Quick; call an ambulance!" the nurse shouted.

"No!" I shouted, scrambling off the bed. If I went to the hospital then Charlie would be worried more than he should. "I want to stay." I said firmly. Hands fluttered around me, trying to push me back down onto the bed.

"No!" I screamed again. I quickly found the strength and ran out of the office. I stumbled back into the school, wincing as I picked big shards of glass out of my knuckles. The corridors were still empty and I looked at my phone for the time. There was still five minutes until I had Gym. I put my phone back in my pocket but saw blood dripping on the floor from my knuckles. I quickly ventured to the store cupboard and went inside. I closed the door and turned on the light, searching for the first aid kit. I found it eventually and wrapped up my knuckles tightly in bandages. I knew there was still glass in there and I made a note to go to the Doctor's after school. I saw the blood start seeping through the bandages, but I knew it was better than nothing.

I put the first aid kit away and headed out to Gym. I saw freshmen running from the Gymnasium and into their changing rooms. I sighed and entered the Gym, seeing Coach Clapp trying to shoot the ball into the hoop like I did yesterday. I smiled slightly.

"Coach?" I called, jogging up to him. He turned to face me.

"Ah, Sinclair! Ready for some more basketball?" He asked excitedly. I sighed and showed him my fists and his eyes widened.

"How did that happen?" He asked. I shook my head.

"It doesn't matter but I don't think I can really play a full game today. Could I possibly just shoot some hoops in what I'm wearing instead?" I enquired. I didn't want to miss basketball again.

"Of course." He nodded, "But take it easy ok? You should be in the hospital." He said.

"I know; I'm going after school." I told him. He nodded his head in approval and carefully handed me the ball. I bounced it a couple of times when I heard the bell go. I heard the student body outside and heard people shouting about what happened between me and Edward in Biology. I could also here people saying about what happened in the bathroom. I quickly looked around and saw Coach, raising an eyebrow at me; obviously he had heard.

"I don't want to talk about it." I mumbled, shooting a perfect hoop. He nodded in understanding and went to the bleachers, taking a sip of his coffee, watching as I shot more hoops. Soon after, I heard my class, waiting outside the Gym doors. Coach looked at me and I nodded, watching as he went outside. I didn't look as I heard the class bustling in to the Gym. I listened as people gasped and whispered about me and from the corner of my eye, I saw people pointing at my bloody bandages. I heard people running up to me.

"Izzy!" Will and Scott both screamed frantically. I sighed and closed my eyes; I didn't want to deal with this. I opened my eyes as Will and Scott both stopped in front of me.

"What happened?" They whispered. I looked up at them blankly and then turned and shot another hoop. Coach blew his whistle and everyone gathered around him.

"Blackwell! Thorp! Over here now!" He shouted. They both glanced at me worriedly, but obediently ran back to Coach, glancing back at me every now and then. I shot hoops as Coach explained to the class that they were to get in pairs and practise passing the ball to each other.

"Edward, pick me!" A girl shouted.

"No; me!"

"Oi bitch, everyone knows he's going to pick me!" Tanya's voice rang out. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Why don't you all let him make his own choice?" I called, shooting another hoop. I felt everyone's eyes land on me but I shrugged them off. People starting whispering to each other again as they ordered themselves in to pairs. Suddenly, I felt two arms wrap around me from behind. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Angela smiling up at me.

"Can I go with you?" She asked. I shook my head.

"I'm not playing." I told her. She let me go and took the ball out of my hands. She shot the ball into the hoop and looked back at me.

"Then neither am I." She smiled. I sighed but couldn't stop my lips from twitching slightly. She threw me the ball and I gasped slightly as it hit my hands.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Angela quickly ran to me, trying to look at the hands I cradled to my chest.

"It's nothing." I whispered, trying to ignore the pain shooting up my arms. She gently took one of my arms and gasped when she saw the blood.

"What happened?" she whispered. I looked into her kind eyes and shook my head.

"I don't want to talk about it." I said, taking my hand back and grabbing the ball.

"I'm here if you need to talk." She said, repeating what I had told her yesterday. I put my hand on her shoulder and smiled in thanks.

"Sinclair!" Coach called. I winked at Angela and walked over to Coach, dodging the balls as they were passed between people.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I'm going to move them onto shooting now; do you think you can teach them like you did with Webber yesterday?" he questioned.

"If you get them into groups of eight, then I can show them." I smiled, but I cringed inside, knowing that I would have to teach **them**. He nodded and told everyone to get into groups of eight.

"Okay Sinclair, start with Masen's group." I swallowed hard, but turned and saw the Cullens with Tanya, Lauren and Jessica. I took a deep breath and put on my mask, not showing how much their words hurt me.

"Ugh, do we have to have _you_?" Rosalie sneered. I didn't respond as I placed my hand on Jessica's back, guiding her in front of the hoop. I grabbed a ball and silently showed her the positions silently.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked quietly.

"Ugh, of course she's alright." Lauren spat.

"So Sinclair, heard you had a breakdown in the bathroom." Tanya said. I paused for a moment and saw Edward's head snap up to look at me. I swallowed and continued to show them the positions. I stood back as Jessica had the ball.

"Now flick your wrist." I told her roughly. She complied and threw it into the hoop. She turned and smiled gratefully at me. However, she looked down and gasped.

"Your hands…" she whispered. All their eyes turned to my hands and they gasped. Jessica slowly moved forward and took my hands in hers. I roughly yanked them away and stalked off to another group.

Eventually, Gym ended and I quickly ran out of the Gymnasium and headed to the car park.

"Wait up Iz!" Scott called. I turned and faced Scott and Will, both looking at me in worry.

"What happened girl?" Will asked gently. I turned away and felt the tears come once again.


	7. Saviour

Chapter 7: Saviour

Will drove me to the hospital, claiming that I was too weak to drive. I sat in the back with Scott as he gently took my hands in his, muttering about how he was going to kill Edward.

We arrived at the hospital within ten minutes and they both helped me out of the door as it was now too painful to use my hands. We entered the hospital and they took me to the front desk.

"Please, we need a doctor quickly." Will said as I held up my hands weakly.

"Oh my…take her to room 302 on the third floor; Dr. Cullen will be waiting for you." The receptionist said. My brain registered the name "Cullen"; it was the name **they **used for their gang.

"Thank you." Will replied. We rushed to the elevator and complained at how slow the elevator was. When we stopped on the third floor, Will and Scott dragged me to room 302 and frantically knocked on the door. It was soon opened by a handsome man with blonde hair and pale grey eyes. He had pale skin and looked in his early thirties. He was tall, easily over six feet. He came out with a smile on his face, but his face soon turned to worry as he took in my form.

"Bring her in." He ordered in a gentle but firm voice. He opened the door wider and I got dragged inside. I lay on the bed and sighed at the comfort.

"What happened?" the doctor asked, unwrapping the blood-soaked bandages carefully off my hands.

"She started getting angry at school and started punching mirrors and walls in the bathroom." Will whispered, not wanting me to hear. The doctor's eyes widened and he quickly examined my bruised and wounded hands.

"There's till some fragments of glass in them and a couple of knuckle bones have been broken." He informed us. "Have you taken any pain killers?" he looked at me and I shook my head. He let my hands go and walked over to a cabinet. He took out a couple of pills and filled a plastic cup with water.

"Take these." He said. I swallowed the pills and drank the water.

"What were they?" I asked as I handed him back the cup.

"Painkillers." He said simply. He asked questions as he grabbed a pair of tweezers and a dish, removing the small shards of glass that were wedged in my hands. After he did that, he sewed butterfly stitches in to my cuts and told me that the stitches dissolved after a few weeks, but my hands would have been healed by then.

"Thank you Dr. Cullen; for everything." I said.

"It's not problem at all, Ms. Sinclair." He smiled. Will and Scott shook his hand and took the bottle of painkillers that I had to take every night. We walked out of the hospital where Scott drove me home. I gave Will the keys to my car as he said he would go to the school and drive it to my house. I thanked them both and went in to my house.

**xoxox**

For the next few weeks, Scott, Will and I ignored everyone. Rumours spread about what I had done in the girl's bathroom had spread like wild fire and now people thought I was on medication for anger issues, or as they liked to call them, "pills for the crazy girl". I was moved to isolation for those weeks, doing work whilst having a teacher with me, trying to talk to me about what happened. But I never said a word to them, claiming that I needed to finish my work.

I didn't see hide nor hair of the Cullens and their group and I was glad that I didn't have to see them anymore. The only people I did talk to were Scott, Will, Angela and her boyfriend Ben who was just as nice as her; they made a cute couple.

Through the weeks of being alone, I had learned to start gaining my confidence back. Of course, I didn't want to face the Cullens as I didn't know how I would react, but I knew that I'd be stronger around them and not let them get to me.

There was only one thing that was bugging me in my alone time. I didn't understand how Dr. Cullen was linked to the "Cullens". He seemed much too young to be their father and their surnames weren't actually Cullen; they were Masen, Brandon, McCarty, Hale and Whitlock.

"Hey Izzy!" Will greeted as he and Scott entered my isolation room. They had permission to eat lunch with me in the isolation room as the teachers thought it would be good for me to keep socialising with people. Angela and Ben sometimes joined us, but most of the time, they were in the library.

"Hey guys." I smiled, pulling out my lunch from my bag. I wasn't allowed to get anything from the cafeteria so I had to make my own lunch at home before I got to school.

"So, we're thinking of having one of our awesome movie nights on Friday; you in?" Scott asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Hell yes!" I exclaimed, excitement running through me. Our awesome movie nights included watching at least five films, whilst stuffing our faces with sweets and popcorn and then proceeding to getting slightly drunk.

"Great! Be at our house by seven." Will grinned. I nodded my head and took a bite of my apple.

"Has anything interesting happened lately?" I questioned, getting out my water bottle.

"No, it's been kind of boring without you." Scott shrugged.

"True; everything's boring when I'm not involved." I smirked and sipped my water. We talked about our plans for Friday, deciding on what movies to watch and what food to bring until the bell went. Will and Scott said their goodbyes just as Mr. Wilmore walked in, acting as my prison guard for the week.

**xoxox**

"I'll be back tomorrow." I reassured Charlie as I picked up my overnight bag. It was Friday; the night of the awesome movie night. Scott insisted that I sleep over, saying that Will would sleep on the couch. Of course Will protested, but we figured that it didn't matter because one of them would pass out on the couch anyway.

"I know that Iz; I just don't want you doing anything funny with those boys." Charlie said, going red with embarrassment.

"Eww, dad! They're just friends." I told him. I kissed his cheek and headed out to my car. The stitches in my hand had dissolved fully, leaving light pink scars on my hands. I rejoiced when I learned that I was finally allowed to drive again and celebrated by beating Scott in another race.

I placed my overnight bag in the boot and climbed into the driver's seat, revving up the engine. I pulled out of the drive and started driving down to Port Angeles.

As I came into the region of Port Angeles, I stopped at a supermarket, getting extra junk food for our awesome night. I bought five bags of sweets and three litres of Coke. I paid for the food and carried it back to my car, putting them in the boot too. I glanced up the street and saw a book store a few stores up. I drove up there and parked my car in front of the alleyway next to it. I browsed through the books and purchased a copy of _Sense and Sensibility_. I placed that in my trunk too.

As I was about to get into my car to go to Will and Scott's flat, I heard a scream come from the alley. I looked down it and saw a group of drunken men ganged around something. I hesitantly and quietly walked down the alley to get a better look at the situation and gasped at what I saw.

Alice Brandon and Rosalie Hale were cornered against the wall, hugging each other and crying whilst the men stalked around them.

A swell of anger burst in my chest. I saw how vulnerable Alice and Rosalie looked and the scene reminded me of how I looked when they used to stalk around me. I still hated them for what they did, but I wouldn't condemn anybody to that fate. Besides, these men would do a lot more than hurt them. They were serial rapists and murderers.

"C'mon sugar; we won't hurt you." One man slurred.

"Much." Another one said and they laughed. Alice and Rosalie whimpered and hugged closer to each other as tears fell down their faces. Why the hell weren't they with their men?

"I bet you've got something to show me, eh doll?" A beefy man stumbled towards Rosalie, grabbing a knife out of his pocket. I couldn't watch anymore.

"Stay the hell away from them." I hissed darkly, making my appearance known. Everyone turned to face me and I saw Alice and Rosalie's eyes widen.

"Oh; there's another one." A skinny man smirked.

"Wanna join sweetheart?" The beefy one said. I smiled sweetly.

"Oh, you know me too well." I sauntered over to the guy with the knife and leaned into his ear. Before he could react, I swiftly grabbed the knife from him and stabbed him in the leg. He screamed as his leg gave out and the others ran towards me. I kicked and punched them, no doubt leaving them with bruises. However, as I ducked out of the way, a sharp blade plunged into my abdomen. I grunted in pain as whoever it was twisted the knife even further into me. I lashed out, feeling the liquid seeping into my top and managed to break the guy's nose The knife was ripped out of my abdomen and I held in a scream. I looked up and they were all groaning in pain on the floor.

"Go." I told them harshly. They started to get up slowly. "GO!" I screamed. They all scrambled up and limped away. I breathed in calmly and winced as I felt the knife wound. I felt the blood dripping down and knew that I had to get to hospital and fast. I quickly covered up my wound with my arm and turned to a cowering Rosalie and Alice. I quickly scanned them with my eyes and sighed silently in relief as I saw that they weren't hurt.

"Izzy?" Alice whispered, tears glistening her soft green eyes. I realised then and there that they were probably in shock. I couldn't leave them alone here, but I couldn't stay with them as I needed to get to the hospital.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" I shouted at them and they flinched.

"W-We got a bit lost and stumbled here when those m-men surrounded us." Rosalie cried. I sighed and rubbed my face with my hand, keeping my other firmly placed down on my bleeding abdomen.

"Why are you on your own?" I asked sternly, crouching down to their level.

"We're not. We were su-supposed to m-meet the guys at _La Bella Italia _half an hour ago." Alice whispered. My head snapped up. _La Bella Italia _wasn't that far from here. If I drove fast, I could drop them off and make it to the hospital in time.

"Let's go." I told them, my voice cold. I started walking towards my car when I heard Alice cry out in pain.

"What is it?" I asked, turning back to her.

"M-My ankle…I can't move it." I walked over to her and gently touched her ankle. She whimpered in pain and I sighed. I hooked my arms under her knees and back and lifted her up bridal style. She didn't weigh any more than one hundred pounds but I grunted as I strained my abdomen.

"I'm sorry; I'm so heavy." Alice whispered. I gave her an incredulous look.

"Don't be so silly." I chided sternly. I looked over to Rosalie who was stood awkwardly, wringing her hands in front of her.

"Come on Rose." I said quietly. She looked up and rushed over to me, clinging to my arm. We carefully walked to my car and Rosalie opened the back door. I gently placed Alice I the backseat and Rosalie followed after. I shut the door and then walked over to the driver's seat, limping slightly. As I sat down, I grabbed my leather jacket that was on the passenger's seat and pushed it onto my wound.

"You're hurt?" Rosalie questioned, panic seeping into her voice.

"It's only a scratch." I assured her, but I knew it was much more than that. I started up the car and drove around Port Angeles, listening to Alice and Rosalie sobbing in the backseat.

"I'm sorry, w-we're getting your backseat dirty." Alice apologised.

"Don't worry about it." I told them. I looked at them in my rear-view mirror and they smiled at me. My breath hitched as it was one of the first genuine smiles Rosalie had given me. The pain was becoming too great for me, but I kept driving until I came to the restaurant. I parked on the curb and saw a worried looking Emmett, tapping his foot impatiently with his arms folded tightly across his chest. Jasper sat on the rail with his head in his hands and Edward was pacing, fear and worry etched on his God-like features.

_Whoa! Where did __**that **__come from?_

I swallowed and held back the tears as I stumbled out of the car. Rosalie opened the door to the backseat and got out. I reached for Alice and gathered her up into my arms. The guys hadn't noticed us yet so we started walking towards them. Jasper's head snapped up and his eyes widened as he saw a pale looking Alice cradled in my arms.

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?" He screamed, running towards us. Surprisingly, Rosalie stood protectively in front of me, preventing Jasper from getting to me.

"Nothing; she's hasn't done anything!" Rosalie shouted shakily.

"It doesn't bloody look like it!" Emmett boomed, heading over to Rosalie.

"No, wait!" Rosalie pleaded.

"Move out of the way Rose." Edward ordered, his voice deadly. If Rosalie moved now, I would be a dead woman.

"No Edward; hear me out." Rosalie said.

"Don't defend her Rose." Edward said, looking around her to glare viciously at me. I didn't blame them for jumping to conclusions, but I really needed to get to the hospital as I felt blood trickling into my jeans and my vision was starting to blur.

"Jesus, will you all just listen for one minute!" Rosalie screamed, shutting them up. She started telling them the truth and their postures starting relaxing slightly. They watched Rosalie intently as she told them of what happened, though they immediately tensed when she told them about the rapists.

"Bastards." Emmett muttered whilst Edward and Jasper nodded in agreement. When she moved on to say how I saved them, they started gazing at me with gratitude and disbelief.

"So…Izzy saved you?" Jasper asked.

"Yes." Alice mumbled weakly. Jasper looked at her frantically. I knew what he wanted to I slowly stepped over to him and placed Alice in his outstretched arms.

"Thank you." He whispered to me. I nodded and started panting slightly.

"I guess we owe you an apology." Edward mumbled.

"No." I shook my head, "You don't."

"I think we do." Emmett whispered, going over to hold Rosalie in his arms. My eyes softened as I saw and felt the love radiating between the two couples. I looked off into the direction of the hospital.

"I'd better go." I whispered, backing up towards my car.

"Wait!" Edward called. He ran over to me and hesitated. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"Anytime." I whispered back hoarsely and he smiled at me. I was about to smile back when he looked down at my shirt. His eyes widened and met mine. I looked down guiltily and removed my hand from my shirt, letting the large stain of blood flow.

"Oh my God." Rosalie gasped. I heard voices shouting frantically at each other and felt myself being lifted into someone's arms before blackness took over me.


	8. Maybe I Was Wrong?

Chapter 8: Maybe I Was Wrong?

**APOV:**

We all watched in horror as Izzy collapsed on to the ground. Everyone was in action almost instantly. Edward crouched over Izzy's form, checking her pulse as Jazzy placed me on the steps of the restaurant.

"Stay here." He told me in his Southern accent, kissing me on the lips. He ran over and crouched over Izzy as well, whispering things to Edward. Emmett comforted a sobbing Rosalie and my own tears began to fall. Why didn't she tell us she was hurt?

"Emmett; phone an ambulance, NOW!" Edward shouted, throwing his phone at Emmett who caught it neatly in one of his hands. He dialled 999 as he led Rosalie over to the steps with me. I heard people coming out of the restaurant to see what all the commotion was about and they gasped when they saw Izzy surrounded by a small pool of blood. A few people rushed to help Edward and Jasper tend to Izzy, pressing down on her knife wound to keep the blood in her system.

Since the moment she arrived in school, I knew there was something different about Izzy Sinclair. I had heard about her through rumours at her old school and heard she had kind of a reputation. After hearing about her, I had envisioned her and Edward together, knowing that they would be the perfect couple. But I was crushed when she didn't want to know any of us.

After seeing her in that bathroom, vulnerable and crying, it reminded me of…**her**.

Isabella Swan. She was a lovely student at Forks, but out of our anger, we bullied her merciless until she left. Soon after, the school and our parents found out about it and we were severely punished. We were forced to watch documentaries on bullying and we were all horrified of how it could psychologically damage the victim. It was painful to watch and we all felt remorse and guilt. However, it affected me the most. I wouldn't eat for days and I did nothing but lock myself in my room; I completely broke down.

Since those terrible weeks, Edward and Emmett had both become very protective of me. They were my shoulders to lean on and were the ones that convinced me to eat and become myself again. I could tell that my breakdown had a serious effect on them too.

Shaking my head and ignoring the pain, I crawled over to Izzy. Edward turned to glance at me briefly and then returned his attention to Izzy. I crawled closer to her still body and held her hand. It had started to get cold so I took her cold hand firmly in both of mine. Edward must have noticed her temperature too as he shrugged out of his jacket and placed it gently around Izzy, keeping pressure on her wound.

I heard sirens in the distance and sighed in relief as I saw two ambulances rounding the corner. They parked speedily and two paramedics placed Izzy on a stretcher and placed an oxygen mask on her. Two of them then ran over to me and checked my ankle. They picked me up and placed me in the ambulance, allowing Jasper to ride with me. I quickly looked back at Izzy's ambulance and saw her weak body placed on the bed, a paramedic trying to talk to her. However, the realisation that I had caused Izzy to be in this situation hit me full force. Silent tears started trickling down my face.

"What's wrong Alice?" Jasper asked as he pulled me closer and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"This is all my fault." I whispered, burying my face in my hands. If me and Rosalie hadn't had got lost, then Izzy wouldn't be fighting for her life at this very moment.

"No darlin'" Jasper soothed, taking my small hands in his big ones. He pulled them away from my face and kissed them gently. "It's not your fault. It's those rapists'." He spat like it was a disease. I sighed and leaned my head against his chest, feeling weak. I knew that Edward, Emmett and Rosalie were following us in Edward's Volvo, but I prayed that Izzy would make it through this alive.

**BPOV:**

My head throbbed as I started coming out of the darkness. I cracked my eyes open and hissed at the bright white light that seeped into my vision. I sealed my eyes shut and groaned in pain. I felt pressure on my hand and I tried to open my eyes once again. It was more bearable this time, but everything was blurry.

"Izzy?" I heard a voice echo. I looked around, the pictures going blurry.

"Is she awake?" Another voice echoed. I painfully opened my eyes wider and dizzily looked around. I saw three blurry outlines of figures, one taller than the other too. After a few minutes, my eyes adjusted properly and I saw Will and Scott looking at me along with Dr. Cullen.

"Oh Izzy!" Scott breathed. He came over to me and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead as Will rubbed my hand soothingly.

"Wha…What happened?" I asked. It all seemed to be a bit of a blur.

"You were stabbed with an infected knife." Dr. Cullen informed me. I slowly turned to face him as memories started flooding back.

"And what about Alice? Is she ok?" I questioned frantically.

"Alice is fine; she only sprained her ankle and she's already been discharged. You on the other-hand will have to stay with us a little while longer." He smiled at me.

"What on earth were you thinking Iz? There we were waiting in the flat for you, and then we get a call from the hospital telling us that you'd been stabbed and were currently in a critical condition!" Will yelled and I winced at the volume.

"Yes, well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you two to go for a while; I need to check out Ms. Sinclair's wound." Dr. Cullen said. Scott and Will nodded and both kissed me on the cheek, heading out the door.

"You're lucky to be alive, you know." Dr. Cullen said as he went over to his cabinet.

"How?" I asked.

"The knife missed your intestines by about nine millimetres; how you remained conscious for a lengthy amount of time is quite a mystery, Ms. Sinclair." He pulled out some rubber gloves and started putting them on.

"Please, call me Izzy; Ms. Sinclair makes me sound…old." I wrinkled my nose as he laughed.

"Well then Izzy, you may call me Carlisle." He chuckled. Once he got the gloves on, he came over to me and lifted up my hospital gown, revealing the nasty gash.

"Ouch." I murmured as Carlisle chuckled.

"It could have been much worse. It was lucky that my children were with you when you collapsed." My head snapped up and I stared at him in confusion.

"Children?" I repeated. Surely he didn't mean…

"Edward, Alice, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie." He smiled and took his gloves off, throwing them in the bin and gathering his clipboard and pen.

"They're _your _children?" I wanted it confirmed. I couldn't see how Carlisle could father five kids and have them all grown up at his age.

"You seem surprised." He grinned, writing down on my chart.

"Uh…well- I mean, don't take this the wrong way or anything but you seem to be a bit…young." I said sheepishly, looking down in embarrassment.

"I understand where you're coming from Izzy. It does seem rather weird having a young doctor who's kids are almost eighteen." He smiled and put down the chart.

"How…How does that work out exactly?" I asked; all this thinking was making my brain hurt. Carlisle sighed and sat on the edge of my hospital bed.

"My wife, Esme, and I are unable to conceive children. We were a young married couple and all we could think about was having a baby. So, when we found out we couldn't, we were both heartbroken.

"So instead, we decided to adopt. We went over to the Care Home one morning and enquired about adopting a child. Most of the children there were teenagers and weren't what we were looking for. We were about to go home when we spotted five three-year olds sitting around in a circle, looking lost and sad. Our hearts went out to them and the lady told us that each of they're parents had all died in a house fire when they were having a party. They wouldn't talk to anyone apart from each other. We knew that it would break us if we separated them, so we adopted all five of them.

"After we did, they became a little…aggressive." I winced, knowing exactly _how _aggressive they were, "They took out their anger on other people, but please, don't let what I say make you think any differently of them. They outgrew that stage a few years ago and feel incredibly guilty about what they did." Carlisle spaced out momentarily and it gave me time to think.

Was that the reason why they used to pick on me at school? Because they were adopted?

"But why do they all have different last names?" I asked quietly. Carlisle sighed.

"They were all very close to their parents, even when they were that young. Once we'd adopted them, they had refused to use the name 'Cullen', stating that I wasn't their father. They kept their original last names because I think it helps them to remind themselves of their parents." As he said this, I could see Carlisle's eyes show a flicker of pain; it must kill him to know that his children didn't want anything to do with him.

For a moment, I imagined myself in Edward's shoes. My parents, whom I had been very close to, had died. My closest family were my best friends and then I suddenly get adopted and have to live with this strange couple who want to change everything about me.

As I thought this, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for these children. They had been through so much, and at such a young age. I was starting to understand why they lashed out at people, but the on-going question still ran through my mind:

_Why me?_

**xoxox**

"Well Izzy, I hope I don't have to see you in here again." Carlisle teased as he signed my release papers.

"Ditto." I smiled. My family had come to visit me along with the Blacks, Angela, Ben, Will, Scott and surprisingly, Jessica. I hadn't seen anything from the Cullens apart from 'Get Well Soon' cards and the occasional present such as chocolates.

Carlisle smiled at me as Charlie helped me with my bags. As we walked down the corridor, Charlie told me that he had to fill in some paper work. I told him I'd meet him by the car and he agreed, walking off. I trailed through the corridors, looking at the hospital's structure. I then came to a section which was labelled '_Children's Ward_'. I felt tears come to my eyes, remembering all the times I came here when **they **did something to me. I opened the double doors and looked through the windows at children with their parents. However, I came to another door, and when I looked through the window, my world stopped.

The Cullens were in there, playing with the children. Rosalie was brushing a little girl's hair whilst Alice was playing dress up with another, clapping and squealing in delight. Emmett was on the ground with some of the boys, playing with toy soldiers. Jasper was playing with building blocks with a mix of toddling boys and girls.

Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over when I looked at Edward. He had a little girl in his lap, holding her securely as he read '_Goldilocks and the Three Bears_'. I saw the girl giggling and clapping with delight as Edward mimicked the characters. I laughed slightly at his silliness, but didn't stop the tears from falling.

I watched them for a couple more minutes, reflecting on the sight before me. It was obvious to me that they had changed, and remorse and guilt filled me in an instant. I had pushed them back, bringing out the angry sides of them. Looking at them now made me want to befriend them; I wanted to start over, get to know them properly.

After one final look, I spun around and went back to the Main Office, walking through the doors and meeting Charlie by the car.

"What took you so long?" He asked as we got buckled in. I shrugged.

"I went exploring." Charlie rolled his eyes and started up the car, driving back home. I was in a daze as I looked out of the window. All I could see was Edward and the little girl.

Maybe I was wrong about them? Maybe they had changed?

But one thing was for sure;

I _was _going to find out.


	9. Peace?

Chapter 9: Peace?

I readjusted my belt as I shakily stepped out of Scott's car. I was still feeling slightly ill from my wound, but Carlisle had given me some medicine for it. It was my first day back at school since the stabbing, and rumours had spread like crazy.

As I looked up, I saw hundreds of eyes staring at me. I ducked my head nervously and impatiently waited for Will and Scott to climb out of the Jeep.

"You know everybody's staring?" I quietly murmured to them whilst looking at the asphalt. From the corner of my eye, I saw them too looking around.

"Ah well; you knew this was going to happen." Scott sighed. He carefully passed me my bag and I gingerly placed it over my shoulder, being careful not to strain myself.

I headed to English, knowing that people were whispering about me and my 'heroics'. I rolled my eyes as students continued to stare at me, trying to pinpoint where I was stabbed with their eyes. I reluctantly entered the classroom and it immediately became silent. I awkwardly shuffled to my desk and gently sat down. As soon as my bum touched the seat, I was engulfed in a pair of small arms.

"Oh Izzy; thank goodness you're alright!" Alice cried, moving her arms to wrap around my neck. I patted her back awkwardly.

"There, there Alice; I'm ok." I mumbled, looking down at the crown of her head.

"I'm sorry we didn't come and visit you! W-We thought you wouldn't want us there." She wailed, tightening her arms around me. I sighed, I really didn't mind at all that they didn't come and visit me. In fact, I would have preferred it if I had never met them.

"It's alright Alice." I reassured her. I was starting to feel uncomfortable with her hugging me so I started prying her arms off me.

"No! It's not alright; you could have died!" She kept crying and people were starting to look at us.

"Alice, get off me." I told her in a low voice. She looked up at me with puppy dog eyes.

"Why?" she whimpered, clutching tighter to me. I winced slightly.

"Because people are looking and if I'm being honest, you're kind of hurting me." I whispered.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She whispered back, releasing me from her vice grip. I readjusted my clothes and relaxed back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest as Mr. Varner started his lecture.

"Can you sit with me and my family at lunch?" She asked. I snapped my head towards her in astonishment.

"What?"

"At lunch; sit with me and my family." She smiled. I admit that they did save my life, but there was still no way that I was going to cosy up to them. I shook my head.

"Sorry, I can't." I said, turning back to the front.

"Why not?" she quizzed loudly. Mr. Varner glared at her and she put her head down.

"Please?" she begged, "I really want you to sit with us; we owe you."

"Yeah, I guess you do." I muttered, "But I'm going to sit with Will and Scott today." I told her.

"They can come along too." She piped up, hope in her eyes.

"No, Alice." I said, finality echoing in my voice. She huffed and slumped back in to her seat.

**xoxox**

Lunch came around quicker than expected. Throughout the morning, I kept receiving smiles from the Cullens who were in my lessons. I hadn't seen Edward all day and I didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed by that fact.

"Hey, hey, hey." Will greeted as me and Scott met him by the lockers. I smiled and Scott punched his shoulder. We laughed as we entered the cafeteria and my eyes immediately met with Alice's. She looked like someone had just run over her kitten. I ignored the sad look she was giving me and headed to our table. I glanced at Alice again as I sat down and saw only four of them were at the table. Didn't Jessica say that Edward was protective of Alice?

"What you looking at Iz?" Scott asked, following my line of sight. Alice sighed and looked over at a distant table. I looked over at the table and saw Edward laughing with some jocks and cheerleaders.

"Ugh." I flipped my hair over my shoulder and turned my attention back to my water. Does he think his family is unimportant now?

Before I could debate that theory further, the canteen doors slammed open. Everyone turned and watched as some freshmen came in heaving musical instruments. My eyes immediately lit up as they placed them in the far corner of the room and trudged back the way they came, red faced and sweating.

Once the last of the freshmen left, everybody started talking again like nothing had happened. I looked longingly at the guitar and sighed. I glanced at Will and Scott and saw that they were in the same position as me, staring at the beautiful instruments.

"Man, what I wouldn't give to jam right now." Scott breathed, shaking his head. Me and Will nodded in agreement. We continued staring at the instruments until I heard a high pitched scream. I snapped my eyes to the cheerleading table and saw Jessica holding her palm. I wouldn't have minded so much if I didn't see the blood dripping from the cut. I winced when I saw the tears in her eyes.

"Oh, it's not that bad. Stop crying you big baby!" I heard Tanya hiss loudly, Lauren nodding in agreement. Tanya rolled her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulder and cuddled up to Edward. I snorted at her attempts at flirting.

I looked back at Jessica and immediately took pity on her. She used to be my friend until Tanya came along and bewitched her. But now that I think about it, Jessica had never actually done anything to hurt me. She just stood and watched as the others abused me. I glanced at her face and saw her biting her lip, mascara running down her cheeks from where the tears were flowing. I looked at the cut and realised that it looked pretty serious.

_How did she get a cut as bad as that in here? _I asked myself, bewildered. I noticed that Jessica had sat down, but her hand was bleeding badly. My head was telling me to let her suffer, but my heart believed that she didn't need to be treated this way. She had been nothing like Tanya and Lauren, but yet she still hung around with them; she was better than them.

"I'll be right back." I sighed, standing up. The boys glanced at me in confusion but I waved them off, keeping my eyes fixed on Tanya who was clinging to Edward, although he looked slightly uncomfortable. I clenched my fists at their arrogance and silently glided over to their table. I stood behind Jessica, but glared at Tanya. They were all still unaware of my presence until Lauren looked at me and choked on her drink.

"What are _you_ doing here?" She sneered, causing all eyes to turn to me. I ignored them and turned my attention to Jessica, who looked up at me silently, red-rimmed eyes and puffy cheeked from crying. I could still see that she was in pain just by the way she sat rigidly in her seat, trying to nurse her hand by holding napkins to it.

I kneeled down by her side and carefully took her injured hand in mine. The gash looked very deep and I immediately knew that she had to have stitches. I looked around and saw a broken glass cup under the table; she must have cut herself trying to pick it up. I stood up to my full height and grabbed Jessica's good hand, pulling her up by my side.

"Pick up the glass." I told Tanya. I turned around and started walking with Jessica.

"Screw that. I'm not taking orders from a slut." I froze on the spot and Jessica glanced at me worriedly.

"Stay here." I told her quietly. She nodded her head but kept looking at me. I spun back around and started stalking up to Tanya.

"You say I'm a slut?" I asked her. The whole cafeteria had become quiet to watch what people were hoping to be a cat fight.

"Yes." She smirked, folding her arms across her chest.

"Please, describe to me in what ways I am a slut?" I inquired getting closer to her. She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again, the smirk sliding off her face; I had stumped her.

"Because as far as I know, I don't wear a belt as a skirt, I don't plaster my face in makeup, I don't scream every time something doesn't go my way and I don't try and sleep with people whenever I want." I said, stopping opposite where she was sitting.

"Actually, now that I think about it, you match that description." I mused, smirking at her. Her jaw opened in shock. "Don't do that Tanya; you might catch flies." I said. Everybody started laughing as she ran out of the room. Lauren stood up to go after her.

"Lauren, she's not worth it." I told her. She glanced between me and the door that Tanya had run out of and then sat back down in her seat.

"Now someone pick up the glass before it causes even more damage." I ordered, ignoring the piercing green eyes that were staring at me. I made my way over to Jessica and put my arm over her shoulders. Scott threw the keys to the Jeep to me and I caught them with ease as I passed their table. I lead Jessica outside to the car park and unlocked the Jeep. I helped her up in to the passenger's seat and closed the door behind her. Trying to ignore the stinging in my abdomen, I hoisted myself in to the driver's seat. I put the keys in the ignition and revved the engine.

"Where are we going?" Jessica asked quietly as I drove out of the parking lot.

"Hospital." I replied, speeding down the highway. We drove in comfortable silence

whilst she tried to press down harder on her hand to stop the bleeding. Once we parked at the hospital, I immediately requested for Dr. Cullen. I helped Jessica to his office and knocked on the door.

"I thought I told you that I didn't want to see you again." Carlisle teased as he let me and Jessica into his office.

"Ha-ha." I remarked dryly.

"So Izzy, what have you done this time?" He asked, sitting on the edge of his desk, amusement in his eyes.

"Actually, I'm here with Jessica." I told him. I stood aside as Jessica showed Carlisle her hand. He agreed that she needed stitches and set to work at nursing her hand. He told her not to put pressure on her hand for a bit and then gave her some medicine to take. I took Jessica back out to the Jeep and we sat in it for a while.

"How long has it been going on?" I asked her. She turned to me.

"What?" She replied. I looked at her in the eye.

"How long has Tanya been teasing you?" I requested bluntly. Fear flashed in Jessica's eyes but she looked down.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She mumbled.

"Oh come off it Jess!" My voice rising in annoyance. She breathed in deep and sighed.

"When we were younger, we used to bully this girl called Isabella Swan." I held back a gasp as she recalled my real name, "I didn't want anything to do with it, but Tanya started bullying her along with the rest of the school. I knew it was wrong to do it, so I just stood back, afraid that if I stood up for her, I would be a victim too." She shook her head as her voice trembled and I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We drove her out of Forks and I cannot even begin to describe how guilty I felt for it. I promised myself that I wouldn't get involved with bullying ever again. Soon after, a new girl came to the school; Angela Webber. I decided to befriend her, but since then, all Tanya has done is made me think low of myself." I saw tears trickling down her face.

"Why do you still hang around with her then?" I asked gently.

"How else am I supposed to get noticed around school?" she replied. For a split second I was consumed by anger. All she wanted was to be noticed by people but of course, if she didn't hang around with Tanya, she would just be an ordinary student in the school. After a few minutes of silence, I glanced at my watch and saw that we only had fifteen minutes left of lunch.

"We'd better get going." I said, turning on the engine. We drove silently back to school and Jessica reapplied her makeup. I rolled my eyes.

We pulled in to the car park and I cut the engine.

"Thank you." Jessica whispered.

"You're welcome." I mumbled back. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my cheek and felt my eyes grow wide with shock. I turned slowly and saw Jessica brushing her hand down my cheek. Once I made eye contact with her, she blushed and hopped out of the car, walking swiftly into the school. I sat there, shock consuming me.

_Did she really just do that?_ I thought. The ringing of the bell brought me out of my trance as I slowly made my way to Biology, still not believing that Jessica had caressed me.

I opened the door in a daze, ignoring the glances Mr. Banner gave me, and sat down in my seat. After a few minutes I immediately felt my skin prickle and I knew that Edward was here. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him walk through the door. I folded my hands on top of my desk, willing myself to ignore him. I heard the chair next to me scrape as he sat down and I turned away, completely ignoring him.

Mr. Banner started his lecture and I took notes, even though I was already good at this subject. As he was explaining the stageyo of mitosis, I felt a finger softly graze the back of my knuckles where my scars were. I stopped what I was doing and watched as the pale, graceful finger lightly traced the pink on my hand.

"Did I cause these?" Edward murmured. I was at a loss of what to say. My eyes unwillingly looked over at him. His eyes were fixed on my hand as he continued to trace it. I cleared my throat and his eyes snapped up to my face.

"No; I did it myself." I said. I was about to withdraw my hand until Edward gently held it in both of his. He twisted it slowly and started tracing my palm, his skin gliding over my skin. Sparks of electricity and heat shot up my arm and straight to my pounding heart as he continued to draw patterns on my hand.

"Where did you go at lunch?" he murmured, still stroking my hand.

"I took Jessica to the hospital." I replied, watching as his fingers wandered back to my knuckles.

"You're different from other girls." He whispered. I immediately snapped my eyes to him and they connected with his green ones. For a moment, I got lost in the depths of his eyes, admiring the colour. I felt as if I could drown in them.

I snapped back into reality and quickly withdrew my hand. I turned away from Edward, who was still staring at me, and returned back to my work. I hurriedly scribbled down the answers onto my piece of paper. Just as I finished the last question, the bell rang and I breathed a silent sigh of relief. I gathered up my belongings along with the rest of the class as was about to head out to Gym when a hand was placed on my shoulder. I glared at the pale hand and followed up the toned arm to glare at Edward.

"What?" I snapped, trying to ignore the buzz of electricity.

"I…I want to apologise about my behaviour towards you." He said softly, gazing into my eyes. "It was uncalled for."

"Oh." I blinked, completely taken by surprise. But then I was immediately on my guard. I remembered the times when he had said he would apologise, and then he would spit in my face.

"Close your eyes." He said.

"What?" I replied, my eyes narrowing.

"Please, just close your eyes." If he tried anything funny, I would kick his ass in Gym. Yet, I don't know why, I felt as if he wouldn't do anything harsh to me. With a reluctant sigh, I closed my eyes, blocking my vision. I heard him shuffle around for a few moments and then placed something in my hand.

"Ok, you can open your eyes now." I snapped my eyes open, mildly shocked that he hadn't done anything to violate or hurt me in any way. I looked at my palm and saw a small, rectangular box. I raised an eyebrow at him and he gestured for me to open it. I never was one for presents so I slowly took off the lid and gasped at what I saw.

Sitting inside of the box was a silver charm bracelet. Around the simple chain were intricate little charms, of which I recognised a horse and an eagle. It was breathtaking. **(A/N; Picture of Bella's Charm Bracelet on my profile)**

"Consider it an apology and thank you present." He smiled a heartbreaking crooked smile at me. I looked at the bracelet again and sighed.

"I'm sorry about what I said to you. I didn't mean for it to hurt you. Sure, I was angry at you, but I didn't think about what I said. And I was hoping that…maybe…we could…be friends?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

I looked up at him and studied his face. He looked nervous, but at the same time hopeful. His behaviour confused me to no end. One minute he hated me, the next minute he wanted to be friends. There was no way in hell that I was going to be a friend of his, but maybe I had been going about this all wrong? If I gained his trust, surely it would work better than being a bitch to him.

"Look." I sighed, "I'm not sure that being friends is the best thing considering the events that have occurred between us." I wasn't just referring to the recent events though. I saw his face drop a bit, "But I'm sure we can work something out." I smiled at him and his eyes brightened, smiling back.

"But first, I can't accept this." I put the lid back on the box and held it out to Edward. He put his hands up.

"Sorry; there's a no return policy." He grinned, backing away from me and towards the door.

"Don't you dare." I warned him, but he darted out of the door before I could do anything about it. I huffed in annoyance and put the box in my bag, marching towards the Gym.

"Ahh, long time no see Ms. Sinclair." Coach greeted me as I entered the Gym, fully clothed. "I heard about what you did, and I've gotta say, I'm impressed." I rolled my eyes; everybody suddenly thought I was a hero.

"I take it you won't be participating today?" He guessed, nodding to my attire.

"Trust me, I'll be surprised when I actually do take part in a Gym lesson." I sighed, grabbing a basket ball. Like before, I kept throwing hoops until the class came in. I glanced over and saw Angela smile at me. I smiled back and waved at Will and Scott. I spotted Jessica who winked at me. I was getting a little scared of how she was treating me so I raised my eyebrow at her, to which she giggled. I skimmed over the students' faces until I spotted the Cullens, talking and laughing together. I sighed and continued to shoot hoops.

"Oh look, Ms. High and Mighty." Tanya sneered from across the room.

"Put a sock in it Blondie." I replied, shooting a perfect hoop. I was starting to get sick of her attitude. Coach blew his whistle before Tanya could respond. This time, the class had to dribble the ball down the Gym and then pass to their partner, who would then shoot at the hoop. I decided to sit on the bleachers, whilst drinking my water. As I was drinking, I got a spine tingling feeling that I was being watched, so I turned to the class and spotted Edward. Once he caught my eye, he grinned and waved. I rolled my eyes at him and turned to the wall, sipping on my water. I didn't fail to notice the look Alice was giving me either as her eyes darted between Edward and I.

As everybody got into pairs, I couldn't help but smile as Jessica and Angela were laughing together. I really hoped that their friendship would last.

"JESS!" I heard a nasally voice screech. I spun around and saw Tanya stomping over to Jessica with Lauren hot on her heals. All activity stopped as everyone watched the two girls.

"What?" Jessica replied, the slight tone of acid in her voice.

"What are you doing with _that_?" Tanya hissed, pointing at Angela who was cowering behind Jessica.

"Well, um…" Jessica stuttered. I saw Tanya's face twist in a grimace and saw her raise her hand, ready to slap Jessica. I sprinted as fast as I could to the other side of the Gym and grabbed Tanya's wrist.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I said darkly. I threw her wrist by her side and stood in front of the two cowering girls.

"What? You're taking _her _side now!" Tanya's face was going red as she glared holes at Jessica.

"Back off Tanya. Jessica has realised that she can do better than you and I bet Lauren could too." I told her, my voice full of authority. She opened and closed her mouth several times before raising her hand to slap me. But before she could, someone stood in front of me. I could tell it was a boy by how tall they were, but my eyes widened in shock as I saw the mess of bronze hair on top of his head.

"Eddie?" I heard Tanya squeak.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on Izzy." He threatened, his voice cold. I gaped at him from behind. _What the hell is he doing? He's not even my friend!_

"But Eddie…" Tanya whined. I saw his muscles tense.

"No." he stated, his voice echoing throughout the Gym. There was a brief silence.

"I HATE YOU IZZY SINCLAIR!" Tanya screamed before I heard two pairs of shoes running out of the Gym. I sighed and turned to Jessica and Angela.

"Are you ok?" I asked gently. They both nodded their heads and suddenly looked above my head. I spun around and came into contact with a toned chest. I looked up and saw Edward smiling down at me.

"What the hell was that for?" I asked, steeping back. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What?" He asked.

"That!" I pointed to where Tanya was.

"Isn't that what friends do; stick up for each other?" He grinned at me. I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off. "I know that we aren't friends…yet. But I'm sure that we'll reach that stage soon." He winked before heading back to his family who all had looks of astonishment on their faces. I looked down at the floor and glanced back up, only to be greeted by the sight of an angry Will and Scott.

I gulped, knowing that I would have to explain myself. Soon.


	10. Alone

Chapter 10: Alone

Silence. That was all that was heard throughout the car as Scott drove us to his flat. I gulped nervously and fidgeted in my seat. I didn't like this.

All too soon, we arrived at Will and Scott's flat. We silently walked up the stairs and waited as Scott unlocked the door. As soon as the door closed behind me, all hell broke loose.

"What the hell Izzy!" Scott shouted, turning his furious eyes to me. I shrunk back slightly.

"I'm sorry." I whispered pathetically.

"You can't just say sorry; what the hell were you doing with _Masen_!" Will sneered his name as if it were a disease.

"Hey, don't talk about him like that!" I shouted, and then froze as my brain processed what I had said; did I just defend Edward?

"Damn Izzy." Scott huffed as Will ran his fingers through his hair. I sighed and looked down.

"I thought that we were going the wrong way about this." I mumbled, "I thought that if I were friends with them, then I could gain their trust and-"

"And what? Join their gang? Start bullying people like they do?" Will spat and I flinched at his harsh tone.

"No! They're not like that anymore!" I said, my voice growing louder.

"And how do you know? You were bullied by them for eight years until you moved away!" Will shouted.

"But now I'm back and they've changed!" I was starting to get annoyed at myself. Why was I defending them?

"And what happens when they find out who you really are? When they realise that you're the pathetic, weak little girl that they used to pick on? Huh? God, I knew this would happen. You act so tough all the time, but you're still just a kid. No wonder the Cullens used to bully you!" I felt myself go stiff as Scott's words stabbed through my heart like a knife. I felt my eyes pool with tears, but I refused to let them fall. Scott's face suddenly fell.

"No, wait. Izzy, I didn't mean that." He tried to place a hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off.

"Don't touch me." I hissed. I stormed towards the door and placed my hand on the handle.

"Don't bother trying to talk to me anymore." I spat as I slammed the door shut behind me. I ran down the stairs at full speed, feeling the tears falling from my eyes. As I ran outside, the cool night air hit me, making me realise that I didn't have a ride back home.

I rubbed my eyes and sniffed, ridding away the words that my best friend had just said to me. The worst part is that he was right. When they find out I'm Isabella Swan, things will get a whole lot worse; they'll probably start hitting me again.

My lips trembled as I hugged myself closer to my jacket and started walking all the way back to Forks, leaving Will and Scott behind me.

xoxox

_**When your day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,  
>When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on<br>Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries n everybody hurts sometimes**_

Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it's time to sing along  
>When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)<br>If you feel like letting go, (hold on)  
>If you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on<p>

'Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends  
>Everybody hurts. Don't throw your hand. Oh, no. Don't throw your hand<br>If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone

If you're on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,  
>When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on<p>

I slammed my hand down on my alarm clock, keeping my eyes firmly shut.

"Stupid, all-knowing alarm clock." I cursed sleepily as I rolled over, trying to get more sleep.

When I arrived home last night, I completely skipped dinner and ran to my room. As soon as my body hit the sheets, I cried and cried. Scott's words kept repeating themselves in my head, tormenting me. I knew that both of them were right, but it still hurt to hear my best friends call me pathetic and weak.

My breakdown only allowed me to have approximately two hours sleep, so I was going to skip school.

_It's not as if anyone will miss me._ I thought bitterly. I let my mind go blank and allowed sleep to take over me…

_I was standing in a dark room. I looked around and saw streams of light shining onto a desk. As I walked towards it, I noticed that there was a box of toys in the corner, along with low tables and chairs dotted across the classroom._

_It was then that I realised that I was in my old nursery room. I looked down at myself and noticed that I was in a pink summer dress. My hair was longer than it normally was, and my legs and arms were a lot shorter. It then occurred to me that I was in my five year old body._

_I ran my fingers over the toys and walked around, taking in the tables and chairs. I looked at the wall and was startled by seeing pictures of me hung up on the wall, ranging from when I was one to seventeen years old._

_Suddenly, the door banged open. I shrieked with fright and spun around, facing the door. My eyes widened with horror when I saw the Cullen clan strutting in with Scott and Will laughing along with them. They were all seventeen and eighteen, they're normal ages. Their eyes turned to me and evil smirks flitted across their faces. They started circling me as the room faded and I started getting smaller._

_They all cackled as I started whimpering, watching as they got bigger and bigger._

"_Well, if it isn't Smelly Belly." Alice sang, making the others laugh._

"_Please." I whispered, feeling tears slide down my cheeks._

"_Oh, Boohoo!" Will cried mockingly, balling up his fists and rubbing his eyes as if he were a crying baby._

"_God Will, I don't know why we were ever friends with her in the first place." Scott said, looking at me in disgust._

"_I think pity is the answer you're looking for." Jasper smirked. Emmett boomed with laughter before using his index finger to push my frail body over, making me land on my back. I looked up and saw Edward's evil grin. He lifted up his foot and hovered it over me._

"_NO!" I screamed as he pressed down._

I sat up abruptly, panting and covered with sweat. I looked around my room and saw rain tapping against my window.

"It was just a dream." I whispered, wiping my hand over my face. I took a few shaky breaths and then grabbed my phone. I had eight missed calls from Scott and five from Will. I sighed and ignored them. I glanced at my alarm clock.

**13:02**

I sighed and slowly got out of bed. It was still lunch time at school; if I got ready fast enough, I could make it in time for Gym. It was pointless to go to school _now, _but I needed to get some fresh air to clear my head. I hopped in the shower, washing my hair and lathering myself with soap. I jumped out of the shower and dried myself. After I dried my hair, I straightened it and then changed into my black baggy jeans, black vest top and black jumper. I tied up my black trainers and then hesitated, deciding whether or not to put on my leather jacket. Instead, I pulled on my black hoodie. I looked at myself in the mirror, and then immediately wished that I hadn't.

My skin was a sickly pale. There were purple bruises under my eyes from my lack of sleep. My face seemed thinner somehow, as if I hadn't eaten anything in a while. I squeezed my eyes shut and looked away in disgust.

I grabbed my keys and then looked at my alarm clock again.

**14:00**

It was now half way through Biology. I quickly stuffed a strawberry breakfast bar in my mouth before putting up my warm, thick hood and running to my car. I revved my engine, heading towards the school.

The car park was completely full when I entered it, so I settled for parking outside of the school gates. I sprinted to the Front Office to sign myself in.

"Mrs. Cope?" I asked hesitantly. The plump, red haired woman snapped her eyes up to me. As soon as she registered my pale face, her eyes widened.

"Good grief! Are you alright, dear?" She questioned, taking in my dark, soaked clothing.

"Is it possible for you to sign me in?" I ignored her previous question. Of course I wasn't alright; my best friends had turned on me, leaving me to fend for myself.

"Of course, I just need your reason of absence." She said, grabbing a pen and a form. I racked my brain for an excuse.

"I had to go out of town; personal reasons." I mumbled. Mrs. Cope glanced at me skeptically for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and scribbling on a piece of paper.

"I take it you need a note to get out of Gym?" She glanced up at me from under her thick framed spectacles. I looked down sheepishly and nodded; Coach was going to kill me. She handed me a slip of paper, stating that I was to be let out of Gym. I stared up at the large clock behind her and knew that everyone would have changed for Gym by now. I thanked Mrs. Cope and headed out of the office.

Dread flooded my stomach as I remembered that Scott and Will were in this class. My dread soon turned to anger and my hands clenched into fists, almost crushing the slip of paper. It wasn't any of their business on who I decided to befriend. I could see where they were coming from, but I didn't want to be _friends _with the Cullens, I wanted to be an insider, someone they could trust so then the blame would be pinned on me if things…happened. But of course, Scott and Will just couldn't listen for five minutes, could they?

I stopped in front of the Gym doors. I put my ear to the door and heard my class talking to each other. I sighed and pulled away from the door. I took in a deep breath, putting on my hard mask. My anger grew and I knew that if Scott or Will tried anything funny, then it would turn into a fight. I put my hands on the doors and pushed them open; the force I used caused them to create a loud bang.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up to see what had caused the noise. Everybody grew silent and a few people gasped as they saw my trembling form. I looked around and spotted the two traitors, watching me with worry and concern; I inwardly snorted. I lowered my head and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop everyone from seeing how weak I was. I looked up and started walking to Coach Clapp, ignoring all the stares I was receiving. With my head held high, I handed him my slip. He quickly scanned through it and nodded, approving of my note. I turned to glare icily at Will and Scott, who looked down in guilt.

"Oh, don't look like that." I snapped at them. They lifted their heads to look at me, but I ignored them and sauntered over to the bleachers. By now, everyone was whispering about what could have happened.

I hated this place. All of these students would do anything to get any bit of gossip that they could. My anger reached its peak.

"Oh will all of you just shut up!" I screamed at them.

"Ooh! Sorry Ms. I'm-too-good-for-anyone!" Lauren shouted and I heard a few sniggers. I lost it.

"Do you want to know why I don't talk to anyone? Do you want to know why I keep to myself?" I looked around at everyone and saw confusion on their faces.

"Is it because…you're a bitch?" Tanya sighed, examining her nails. My hands balled into fists.

"No. It's because I hate all of you." I snapped. I glanced around again and saw students with their mouths wide open.

"I hate the way you talk. I hate the way that you all brush off your education as though it's nothing. But do you know what I really hate? I hate the way that you think image is everything.

"For you, it's all about popularity and looking good. You never care about anybody's feelings; you just care about your relationship status. I mean, for God's sake; it's school! What's the point of plastering yourself in makeup? Why wear all the short skirts and make yourself look more mature?

"I have only seen about three people in this _whole _year that care about their friends and education. Even the freshmen look and act better than all of you! And I'll say it now; I feel sick when I walk into a classroom with you lot.

"But hey, why am I bothering to waste my breath on you lot? You'll probably just brush off my little speech, but I'm ok with that. I'm sure that when you're struggling to find a job, trying to support five babies and living in a council flat, I'll be the one that comes around and says 'I told you so'." I felt tears fill my eyes again as I turned to Will and Scott.

"And if you think I'm a pathetic, weak girl, then you have no reason to communicate with me again." I saw them with tears in their eyes. I brushed off my own as I walked over to Tanya. I stood right in front of her.

"And if you _dare _hurt, or make fun of Angela, or anyone, you will answer directly to _me_. Got it?" I asked harshly. Tanya gulped and nodded quickly. I walked past her, knocking my shoulder into hers, roughly. I started trudging towards the door when someone caught my hand in theirs. The warm hand wrapped around mine, comforting me. The familiar electric sparks ran up my arm as I turned around to face Edward Masen. He had tears in his emerald eyes and I looked behind him, seeing the rest of their family in the same position. I shook my head and glared at him.

"What? Do you think you're an exception?" I spat angrily at him. He shook his head slowly.

"I know I'm not." He replied quietly, not breaking eye contact with me. I took in a deep breath and ripped my hand out of his. I saw hurt flash in his eyes but I stalked out of the room before anyone could say anything. I ran at a blinding speed, letting the rain soak me as I made it to the parking lot.

As I ran, my heart broke a little bit more. I had now made the whole school my enemy. I stopped running and sat on the bonnet of my car. I rubbed my forehead and sighed in defeat, hating how I was starting to become like **them**. I allowed a few tears to escape my eyes and ignored the rain that was soaking through my clothes.

After a few minutes, the bell rang, signalling the end of the day. I looked at the doors and watched as students started flooding out of it. As soon as the juniors started filing out, I could practically hear them talking about my display. Another stab went through my stomach as they still thought they were better than everyone.

But what really got to me was seeing the Cullens walking out the doors, laughing with Scott and Will. I knew that even though we had fallen out, they would never betray my secret as to who I really was. I felt an ache in my heart as I saw them all talking with smiles on their faces, enjoying each other's company.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of fury. We had fallen out because they thought I liked the Cullens, and now they were chatting as if they were practically best friends! I knew from that moment that I couldn't win this war. I couldn't keep pretending to be Izzy Sinclair.

I saw Lauren and Tanya saunter up to Edward and start flirting with him. But what surprised me was that he wasn't acknowledging them;

He was staring at me.

I looked away quickly, but I could still feel his eyes boring holes into my back. I looked back at the school and realised that I was alone.

_You've only got yourself to blame! _My inner voice sang at me. I bit my lip and took out my mobile, searching through my contacts. I stopped when I reached a certain person. I dialled their number and held the phone up to my ear, praying that they would pick up.

"Hello?" The warm, husky voice answered.

"Hey Jake, it's Izzy." I sighed.

"Oh, hey Izzy. What can I do for you?" I sighed and looked back at the laughing group, wishing that I could be a part of it.

"Can I come around to your place tonight?"


	11. Friendly Advice

Chapter 11: Friendly Advice

**EPOV:**

I watched in despair as Izzy ran out of the Gym doors. My stomach started churning as a few stray tears leaked from my eyes. I slowly raised my hand and brushed them away; it was the first time I had cried in over seven years.

Izzy Sinclair. She was a complete mystery to me, yet I felt as if I knew her. Her chocolate brown doe eyes seemed oddly familiar and I couldn't help but feel that I had met her before.

I snapped my head back to my family. Alice had tears streaming down her face, trying to bury her head in Jasper's chest who was rubbing his arms soothingly up and down her arms. Rosalie and Emmett were in a similar position, although Emmett let a few tears escape from his eyes too.

"Aw man; we screwed up big time." I recognise Scott Thorp whisper to William Blackwood; Izzy's best friends.

"What did you do to her?" I asked shakily, anger lacing in my words. Their eyes widened at me and then they hung their heads in shame.

"We insulted her." William whispered. I took in a deep breath and pinched the bridge of my nose between my forefinger and thumb, squeezing my eyes shut.

"How?" Rosalie interrogated; it didn't surprise me that she was trying to defend Izzy. Even though she kept pushing us away, we owed Izzy big time.

"We just said some things…" Scott trailed off. Before anymore could be said, Coach Clapp blew his whistle and ordered us to settle down. When everybody was quiet, he told us to go into groups of four. I decided to let my brothers and sisters go together despite their protests, because I knew that they would just spend the lesson making-out with their significant others. I looked around for another group when Tanya and Lauren suddenly appeared in front of me.

"Hey Eddie." Tanya giggled, stepping towards me. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Tanya, my name is Edward; not Eddie." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Oops; sorry Eddie." She giggled again and I huffed in annoyance. Suddenly, she puffed her chest out a little more and started sliding her hands up and down my arms.

"So, do you wanna be my partner?" She purred and winked, trying to be seductive; it only made me feel sick. I looked around the room, desperately trying to find an excuse as to not be her partner. My eyes landed on Scott and William, talking quietly to each other.

"Actually, I'm already going with someone else." I said, shrugging away from her and heading towards the two guys. When they noticed me, they became quiet and stared at me like I had grown two heads.

"Can I team up with you guys?" I asked, hoping that they would agree. They both looked at each other and hesitantly nodded. I sighed in relief and then a small smile came onto my lips as I realised that I could learn a bit more about Izzy from these two.

Gym passed in a blur and I found myself enjoying every minute of it. William and Scott were very funny. All lesson we joked around with each other and then ended up wrestling for a while. Emmett and Jasper joined in and we had a mini tournament when Coach wasn't watching. However, I couldn't help but worry about Izzy. It was clear that William and Scott wouldn't bring her up in conversation, and that only increased my concern; I really hoped that she was ok.

As I was getting changed, ready to go home, I heard the other guys in the changing rooms whispering about Izzy's display.

"God, did you notice how sexy she looked when she was shouting?" Mike Newton whispered.

"Yeah man; I would _so _tap that." Tyler Crowley replied.

"Hey, back off man; I saw her first!" Mike warned. My hands clenched into fists as anger swam through my body. Who did they think they were? Izzy was not an object to be admired! She was a beautiful girl who deserved to be treated with respect.

_Wait, did I just call her beautiful?_

I shook my head of that thought immediately. Of course, I found Izzy attractive and there was just something about her that drew me in. Electricity pulsed in my bones when we touched and I knew that she felt it too. But I was undeserving. There were too many sins that I had committed in my life and I did not want to spoil an angel like Izzy. Besides, she had made it obvious that she wasn't interested in me romantically.

I sighed and pulled on my shirt. I grabbed my bag and walked out of the changing rooms, meeting Emmett and Jasper. I was surprised to find William and Scott talking with them and greeted me as I approached.

After ten minutes of waiting, Alice and Rosalie emerged from the girls' changing room.

"Finally! What took you so long?" I asked exasperated.

"Oh hush, Edward. All you have to do is take a shower; we _need _time to look good!" Alice reprimanded.

"So I see you're one that's going to ignore Izzy's speech." I muttered. She suddenly bit her lip and looked guiltily up into my eyes.

"That's enough, Edward." Jasper stated, putting an arm around Alice and kissing the top of her head. I turned my attention to William and Scott who began to tell amusing stories of when they were living in Phoenix.

"And then she tripped on the table cloth and the cake went all over her!" We all burst out laughing as we went out into the parking lot. There was a light drizzle in the air but I ignored it as we headed towards my car. I leaned against it casually but then groaned inwardly as Tanya and Lauren sauntered over to me _again_.

"Hey Eddie!" Tanya greeted and I clenched my teeth together in aggravation; it would not help me to lose my temper. I nodded to them and then ignored their high pitched voices. I glanced around the car park until my eyes stopped on _her_.

She was sitting on the bonnet of her car. Her hood was up so it was difficult to see her face, but I recognised her by the pair of chocolate brown eyes that were staring back at me. I felt warmth spread through my stomach as we gazed at each other from across the parking lot. But my heart shattered as her eyes were hollow, void of emotion and I wanted nothing more than to go over and comfort her. She abruptly looked away and looked at the school for a moment before pulling out her mobile and phoned someone. She only talked for a minute before she hung up and jumped into her car, revving it and driving out of the parking lot.

_Oh Izzy Sinclair, why won't you open up to anyone?_

**BPOV:**

I pulled into the strangely familiar drive of a little red cabin. I shut of my engine and sighed, knowing that I needed to confide in someone. I opened the car door and got out immediately after seeing Jacob grinning at me from his cabin window.

"Izzy!" He called out and ran towards me. I took a step back, surprised at his actions until I was engulfed in his warm arms.

"Hey Jake." I grinned, hugging him back. He squeezed me tightly before letting me fall back onto my feet.

"How are you?" He asked, looking down at me with a huge grin on his face.

"I've been better." I sighed, rubbing my forehead.

"What's wrong?" He frowned. I looked up at his confused expression and felt moisture come into my eyes.

"Ugh, not again!" I wailed as I rubbed my eyes, desperately trying to rid the tears. I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around me and looked up through my blurry vision to see Jake looking down at me in concern.

"Come on, let's get you inside." He whispered. He kept one arm wrapped around my shoulders as he led me into his cosy cabin. It was only one floor and smelt like pine. Jake sat me on his brown cotton sofa and then took a seat next to me. He handed me some tissues and I thanked him.

"Where's Billy?" I asked, still trying to calm myself.

"Fishing with Harry Clearwater." Jake replied, worry dominating his features. He shuffled closer to me on the sofa, "Now, what's wrong?" I looked up into his warm brown eyes and told him everything.

I told him about the bullying from when I was younger, about Will and Scott, how I moved back and now how I was friend-less.

"You've got me." He said quietly.

"I know, but I mean at school." I shrugged, sipping on the mug of hot chocolate that he made me. It was quiet for a few minutes until Jake spoke up.

"I honestly don't know what to say." He sighed. I looked down. "Why won't you reveal who you really are?"

"Because," I sighed, "if I did, then they would end up bullying me again."

"How do you know?"

"Because, I just do." I snapped, taking another sip of my warm drink.

"But you said that they've changed." He argued.

"So?"

"So," Jake rolled his eyes, "if they _have _changed, then they wouldn't bully you."

"How would you know?" I turned the tables on him.

"Do you really think they'd go back to the way they were if they had changed?" He asked skeptically.

"Yes." I whispered and he groaned.

"They really messed you up didn't they?" Jake murmured more to himself, but I nodded anyway.

"You have no idea." I replied. "What do I do about Will and Scott?"

"There's nothing you can do accept to let them apologise." I looked sharply at him and he held his hands up in surrender, "I'm just saying. Why don't you give them another chance?"

"They don't want me as their friend anymore; they prefer the _Cullens_." I sneered.

"Just because they're getting along with someone else doesn't mean that they don't want to be your friends." Jake pointed out. "And if you think that, then I've gotta admit that you're being a little selfish."

I sighed and rubbed my temples. This situation was far too complicated for me to handle. I wanted to have my best friends back, but I didn't want to associate with the Cullens.

"What do I do?" I begged. Jake furrowed his brow for a minute before he came up with a solution.

"Talk to them, _all _of them. Give Will, Scott _and _the Cullens a second chance." I bit my lip and looked out the window. The sun was starting to set and I realised that Charlie would probably be at home, wondering where I was.

"And what about my identity?" I asked, refusing to look at Jacob.

"That's up to you. But Bella," I winced when he called me that. Unwanted memories flung themselves to the front of my mind, "whatever happens, I'll always be here for you." I turned to Jake and stared into his eyes. I put my empty mug down and leaned forward, kissing his cheek.

"Thank you." I breathed against his skin. He shuddered and turned to face me. He started leaning in but before he could get any closer, I stood up and went out of the door. I practically ran to my car and threw it in reverse, driving back to Forks.

I mumbled incoherently all the way back, not believing that Jacob could possibly be interested in me in _that _way. Sure, he was sweet and all, but he was just a _kid_.

My mind suddenly reeled back to when Scott had said that to me. _Just a kid_. Three small words that were turning in my head constantly. I immediately shook my head and returned to Jacob's actions.

I had never considered dating anyone before; I felt as if love wasn't destined to find me. I always scolded film makers on how their movies almost always contained some form of love story, and I kept ranting about how unrealistic it all was. Man and woman meet, fall in love, face problems, declare love for each other, get married, the end. That wasn't how love worked in the real world. You find someone attractive, date them, break up with them and then move on. There was never a perfect happily ever after.

I pulled into the drive and spotted Charlie's cruiser. I sighed as I saw the curtains twitch and I got out and locked my car, heading towards the front door. Before I could reach the handle, the door opened to reveal a worried Charlie.

"Hey dad." I smiled sheepishly. Without warning he pulled me into a hug. After a moment, he put me at arm's length.

"Izzy; where were you?" I was about to answer him, when a thought struck me.

"Um, dad…can you, er, call me…Bella?" I whispered. His eyes brightened and a smile spread across his face.

"Sure thing, Bells." I grinned at him, but then his face became stern. "Now, where were you?"

"I was at Jake's house." I shrugged. Charlie's face immediately relaxed and he let me in the house. I looked towards the kitchen and saw an opened box of pizza.

"Er, I hope you don't mind but I ordered pizza." Charlie said sheepishly, rubbing the back of is neck.

"I can see that." I laughed slightly. For the rest of the night, Charlie and I watched television, gauging ourselves on cheese pizza. After watching two games of baseball, I looked at my phone;

**22:21**

"I'm gonna go to bed now. Night dad." I called as I made my way up the stairs.

"Night Bells." He called back and I stopped momentarily, absorbing the sound of my old name. I walked slowly into my room and my eye immediately landed on my guitar, stuffed up in the corner. I went over to it and pulled the case onto the bed. I opened it to reveal my beautiful guitar and I stroked the wood delicately before pulling it out of its case. I walked over to my window sill and sat down on the edge. I remembered my thoughts on love and started strumming the strings gently. I opened my mouth and started quietly singing.

_**Incompatible, it don't matter though  
>'Cause someone's bound to hear my cry<br>Speak out if you do, you're not easy to find**_

**_Is it possible Mr. Lovable is already in my life?_**  
><strong><em>Right in front of me or maybe you're in disguise<em>**

**_Who doesn't long for someone to hold_**  
><strong><em>Who knows how to love you without being told<em>**  
><strong><em>Somebody tell me why I'm on my own<em>**  
><strong><em>If there's a soulmate for everyone<em>**

**_Here we are again, circles never end_**  
><strong><em>How do I find the perfect fit?<em>**  
><strong><em>There's enough for everyone<em>**  
><strong><em>But I'm still waiting in line<em>**

**_Who doesn't long for someone to hold_**  
><strong><em>Who knows how to love you without being told<em>**  
><strong><em>Somebody tell me why I'm on my own<em>**  
><strong><em>If there's a soulmate for everyone<em>**  
><strong><em>If there's a soulmate for everyone<em>**

**_Most relationships seem so transitory_**  
><strong><em>They're all good but not the permanent one<em>**

**_Who doesn't long for someone to hold_**  
><strong><em>Who knows how to love you without being told<em>**  
><strong><em>Oh, somebody tell me why I'm on my own<em>**  
><strong><em>If there's a soulmate for everyone<em>**

**_Who doesn't long for someone to hold_**  
><strong><em>Who knows how to love you without being told<em>**  
><strong><em>Somebody tell me why I'm on my own<em>**  
><strong><em>If there's a soulmate for everyone<em>**  
><strong><em>If there's a soulmate for everyone<em>**

I strummed the last note and then looked out of my window. It was twilight, but I started to see stars glittering high in the sky. The moon hung low outside my window and I looked out to the trees. I breathed in deeply and sighed, trying to decide what to do.

_Should I reveal myself as Isabella Swan? Or continue to be Izzy Sinclair?_

I debated this thought further, refusing to go to sleep until I came up with an answer.


	12. Getting Along

Chapter 12: Getting Along

Rain splattered down against my windshield as I waited in the parking lot, trying to spot the familiar Jeep. My leg was bouncing of its own accord, revealing my anxiety to the world. I had tried to keep still, but my body wouldn't listen and insisted on fidgeting in my seat every five minutes.

I had been here for at least half an hour and there was still no sign of Will or Scott. From last night, I had decided that I would see how today went with the Cullens. If all was fine, then I would reveal my true identity. However, if not, then I would remain as Izzy Sinclair at school.

I shrieked as I heard the blaring of a car horn. I glanced over at the paring entrance and felt my face pale as I saw the Jeep swing into view. But following it were a silver Volvo and a yellow Porsche, and I knew who they belonged to. I watched silently as they all parked next to each other. Edward and Rosalie were first to exit the Volvo, Alice and Jasper came out of the Porsche and Emmett jumped out of the Jeep, laughing as Will and Scott scrambled to get out of it. I felt my heart break a little more; maybe they would be better off without me.

_But would you be better off without them? _A small voice in the back of my mind spoke. I looked down at the three stars on my wrist and memories flashed to the forefront of my mind. I laughed softly at them, remembering the good times me, Will and Scott had spent together. I looked back up at the group and saw they had scurried under the office, trying to keep warm and dry. I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut, knowing that I was going to have to face them soon.

I stayed in my car, trying to figure out a way to approach the group, and ignored the numerous cars that were revving into the lot. I rubbed my temples in frustration and then groaned when I heard the bell ring. Reluctantly, I grabbed my bag and trudged through the rain and puddles to get to the school, remembering to lock my car.

My shoes squeaked as I walked down the corridor, my head down and bag slung casually over my shoulder. As I was walking, I noticed three pairs of high heels stood in a line in front of me, blocking me from going any further. I followed up the three pairs of legs and bodies until I recognised the faces of Tanya, Lauren and Jessica.

"Oh God, what do you want?" I groaned; I really wasn't in the mood to scrap with them today. Tanya and Lauren smirked at me whilst Jessica genuinely smiled and waved at me.

"It seems like all of your friends have abandoned you." Tanya sneered. "I guess they saw you for who you _really _are." I froze momentarily at her words; did she know who I was?

"Yeah, I mean, who would want to hang out with a snobby bitch like _you_?" Lauren jeered in her nasally voice. I was about to tell them to shut up, but another voice interrupted us, shocking the three of us.

"Just leave her alone." Jessica said, walking over to stand by me. Tanya shrieked as Lauren's eyes widened.

"Jess! What the hell are you doing!" Tanya's face was starting to turn red.

"Something I should have done a long time ago." Jessica replied calmly. I simply stared at her in astonishment.

"You little-"

"Back off Tanya." I snarled. I grabbed Jessica's arm and shoved past a gawking Lauren. I led Jessica to a secluded music room full of instruments and slammed the door shut.

"Why did you do that?" I asked, making eye contact with her. Jessica looked down sheepishly.

"I don't like it when they talk to you like that." She mumbled quietly. I gulped loudly, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the situation. I glanced at the clock and realised that we were five minutes late for class.

"Crap!" I muttered and quickly turned to Jessica, "Meet me here at lunch." I told her, but then I thought for a moment. "Bring Angela too." Jessica's face brightened and she nodded enthusiastically and I couldn't help but laugh a little at her face. I practically ran to English and kicked the door open. Thankfully, Mr. Varner hadn't turned up yet and I sighed in relief, thanking whatever Gods were listening. I shuffled to my seat beside Alice, who ignored me completely. I felt a pang of hurt in my stomach and I wanted to desperately talk to her, but I knew that I had to find Will and Scott first. It then occurred to me that I sat beside Will and Scott in other lessons, so I would speak to them then.

Mr. Varner finally arrived, soothing the tense atmosphere between Alice and I. The lesson dragged on as we took notes on the relationship between Hamlet and Claudius. When the bell rang, Alice darted out of her seat and swiftly glided out of the door. I sighed in defeat, sluggishly packed my stuff away and slowly walked to History.

It was no surprise that I spotted Will sitting next to Jasper and I bit my tongue to stop myself from crying. I sat down next to Ms. Bell, whom I soon found out was called Ashley.

"Hey." She whispered, smiling gently at me.

"Hi." I whispered back, smiling. We talked quietly for a few minutes until Mr. Wilmore called for silence. Scarlet and I talked and giggled throughout the lesson and I found myself liking her. We parted ways soon after and told me that she'd save me a seat at lunch. I headed to Home Economics and timidly sat next to Rosalie, who was glaring daggers at me. Gees, you would have thought that she'd warm up to me after saving her life. She continued to glare at me throughout class and I sprinted to Spanish, knowing that Scott would have moved next to Emmett. Of course, I was right and I sat next to my new Spanish partner.

It wasn't fair. They were making it a lot harder for me to talk to them, although I'm guessing that was the point of avoiding me, so I _couldn't _talk to them.

As the bell rang for lunch, I darted out of the classroom, running back to the music room. There wasn't a class in there so I dived inside, breathing in and out deeply. Soon after, Jessica arrived with Angela and a boy I didn't know. I cocked my head to the side.

"This is Ben Cheney, my b-boyfriend." Angela stuttered, blushing. Jess and I smiled and "aww"ed, laughing when Angela blushed even more.

"So, shall we?" I asked. They all smiled and nodded. As we were walking, I explained to them that Ashley had asked us to sit with her and they all agreed. We entered the cafeteria and my eyes immediately snapped to the Cullen's table. There they were, laughing happily, looking like the picture of perfect friends. I wanted to gag as I saw Tanya snuggling up to Edward and Lauren shuffling closer to Will. What surprised me though was when both boys put their arms around the girls. I swallowed hard and Jessica put an arm around my shoulders.

"Tanya's been going after Edward for _years_." She explained, even though I already knew that. "Looks like she's finally got him."

"How? I thought Edward hated Tanya?" I asked, watching as Edward whispered something to Tanya and she giggled.

"Edward used to be a bit of a player and somehow, Tanya manages to bring out that side of him in his moments of weakness." Jessica shrugged.

"Weakness?" I questioned, grabbing a soda and an apple.

"Like, when he's upset or if he has a lot on his mind, you know?" I nodded slowly, speculating on what could be on Edward's mind. I paid for my lunch and then looked around for Ashley.

"Izzy! Over here!" Ashley called, waving at us. I smiled and walked over to her.

"Do you mind if these guys join us?" I asked, gesturing to Jessica, Angela and Ben.

"No, not at all." She replied. We all sat down and then started engrossing in conversation. I felt a pair of eyes boring into my back and I glanced at _their _table and saw Edward and Tanya making-out. I wanted to throw up but I couldn't as Edward was staring at me, _whilst _he was kissing Tanya. I raised an eyebrow at him but he didn't do anything other than stare.

Wait. Was he trying to make me _jealous_?

I couldn't help the bubble of laughter that erupted out of my throat. Edward immediately started laughing with me, breaking away from Tanya. I placed my head in my hands and continued to laugh.

"What's so funny, baby?" Jessica asked and I immediately stopped laughing. "I-I mean Izzy?" She fumbled sheepishly. I looked around the table and we all gave Jessica weird looks.

"Um…nothing." I replied. Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate against my leg. I pulled it out of my pocket and realised that I had a message off Jake.

_**Have you told them yet?**_

I sighed and quickly text back.

_**No, I'm not sure if I want to anymore :(**_

I was about to place it back in my pocket when it buzzed again.

_**ISABELLA MARIE SWAN! If you don't tell them in the next five minutes, I will come over there and tell them myself!**_

I rolled my eyes and laughed shakily.

_**You wouldn't dare**_

I abruptly turned off my phone and shoved it back in my pocket. I started nibbling on my apple, worrying about Jake. Surely he wouldn't come here and tell everyone my secret…would he?

"What's wrong Izzy?" Angela asked quietly. I looked at her and grinned, shaking my head. I finished off my apple and threw it in the bin. I unscrewed the cap off my bottle and took a sip of my soda. I glanced at _their _table again and saw Edward pushing Tanya away as she was trying to wrap her arms around him.

_That is one hell of a confusing dude._ I thought to myself. I closed my eyes and leaned back in my chair, allowing the buzzing of the cafeteria to become background noise. Suddenly, I felt for my phone and turned it on again. I held my breath and then sighed as I had no more messages from Jake. I opened up my pictures and almost cried when I saw the first picture.

Will and Scott were leaning over me, smiling at the camera and I had a pout on my face with a huge birthday cake in front of me. I hated surprises.

Without thinking, I stood up and walked over to Will and Scott, ignoring Tanya and Lauren's snide remarks. Will and Scott looked up at me as I silently handed them my phone. They both looked down at the picture and froze for a moment. Everyone was tense as they looked between us, wondering what was going on. Before I could even comprehend what was going on, I was engulfed in two pairs of strong arms.

"Ahh!" I screamed comically. "I…need…air!" I choked out. Everyone apart from Tanya and Lauren laughed at our antics. They both let me go and grinned at me.

"Missed you Iz!" They chorused and I grinned at them. Scott threw me my phone and I caught it with ease.

"What happened?" Emmett asked, confused. I laughed and winked at him.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it." I patted his head which brought on another round of laughter. I looked back to my other friends and saw them looking at me dejectedly.

"Well, I best be getting back." I sighed. "Oh and by the way," I brought Scott and Will closer so that only they could hear.

"Bogies." I whispered. I pulled away as they started laughing.

"Bring it on, girl." Will laughed. I gave him a childish smile as I walked back towards my table. I sat myself down and waited silently as Will and Scott explained the rules to the Cullens.

"Bogies." I heard Scott faintly call.

"Bogies." Will called louder. We continued like this until we were practically screaming it across the lunch room, making everyone in the canteen roll on the floor with laughter. Eventually, we declared me the winner. Everyone clapped as I bowed down.

"Thank you, thank you." I pretended to wipe tears from my eye. "I wanna thank everyone who voted for me…" I said in an over exaggerated American accent. As everyone was laughing, it then occurred to me that the girls weren't wearing as much make-up as before, just enough to make it look natural, and that their skirts were much longer; some were even wearing jeans. Well, apart from Tanya and Lauren.

Eventually, the bell rang for fifth period and everybody groaned. Jessica and I made our way outside to Biology and I unconsciously wrapped my jacket around me tighter; it was very cold for October. We made it into Biology and I shrugged off my jacket as Mr. Banner had graciously turned on the heaters for us. I plopped down in my seat and drummed my fingers on the desk.

"Impatient, are we?" I heard a silky voice say. I looked to my left and saw Edward pull out his chair, grinning at me.

"Noo." I said, shaking my head. He chuckled quietly as he sat down. I stared at him from the corner of my eye, absorbing his features. He really was a creation of perfection.

_No, stop it! Bad Bella!_ I scolded myself. I glanced at Edward again and realised that this could be my moment to tell him who I really was.

"Edward?" I whispered cautiously.

"Yes Izzy?" He whispered back, leaning in and giving me his full attention. I swallowed hard and opened my mouth to speak when I suddenly saw Jake popping his head up outside the window.

"Oh crap." I muttered, leaning away from Edward so I could get better look at Jake.

"What?" Edward asked, turning to the window.

"Nothing, it's just a stalker." I sighed, reminding myself to kill Jake once school finished. Mr. Banner started his lecture and I kept glancing wearily at the windows, determined to strangle Jake. Mr. Banner gave us questions on a sheet and we had to work on them until the end of the lesson. After a few minutes of work, Mr. Banner excused himself from the room. Once the door closed, I casually got out of my seat and strolled to the front window, ignoring everyone's curious eyes on me. I opened the window and breathed in the fresh air.

"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" I sighed. Suddenly, Jake appeared in front of me.

"Hello." He grinned smugly. My sweet mask was suddenly ripped off and my nostrils started flaring.

"What are you doing here?" I seethed. Jake rolled his eyes.

"I told you; if you didn't tell them then I would."

"But you can't just-" I didn't have time to stop him before he jumped in through the window.

"What up?" Jake called across the room to the class. I buried my face in my hand and then cursed Jacob mentally.

"Ok, sooo Izzy here has something that she'd like to share with you."

"No, I don't." I said, snapping my head up and glaring at Jake.

"Sure you do." Jake teased. I shook my head at him desperately and pleaded to him with my eyes. He frowned for a moment and then smiled deviously.

"Well, seeing as she is unable to tell you, I'll do it myself."

"I would think _very _hard about your next words, Jacob Black." I hissed, prepared to threaten him with anything I needed to. The class looked back and forth between us, until their eyes finally settled on Jacob.

"Well, you see, she's really-" He didn't get a chance to say anymore as I tackled him to the ground.

"Ahh!" He cried comically, trying to swat me off him. I got him on is back and used one hand to pin his wrists behind his back and the other to cover his mouth. I peeked my head over Mr. Banner's desk.

"Sorry folks, he's delusional." I gasped and then continued to pin him to the ground. By now, the class had gathered around us and cheered as we rolled around on the floor, trying to pin the other one. Suddenly, Jacob complained about me using help. Confused, I glanced back at Jake's legs and noticed Edward holding them down. He smiled at he and I found myself smiling back.

"What on earth is going on here?" Mr. Banner's voice boomed. Everybody, excluding Edward, Jake and I, scurried back to their seats. _Cowards _I thought. Mr. Banner looked down at us, his eyes piercing our positions.

"Who are you?" He pointed sharply at Jake, but he couldn't respond as I had managed to sellotape his mouth using Mr. Banner's tape which was lying on his desk.

"Sinclair, Masen, boy, go to the Principle's Office now!" Edward got off Jake and then held his hand out to me. I took it gingerly and then silently gasped at how my hand fit in his. He pulled me off Jake and next to him and I heard people wolf whistling so I immediately ripped my hand out of his. We headed to the door and all three of us walked out of it. I suddenly smirked and ripped the tape of Jake's mouth.

"OW!" He cried, rubbing his lips.

"Ha, take that _boy_." I mocked, earning a laugh from Edward. It was then that I decided that I wouldn't give away my identity…yet.


	13. A Turn of Events

Chapter 13: A Turn of Events

The weeks flew by and before I knew it, it was the first of December. Will, Scott and I had forgiven each other fully and were now back to our normal relationship. I had begun to like the Cullens.

Alice was a little ball of energy, always hyper and _loved _to shop. She had unsuccessfully tried to take me on numerous shopping trips, but she swore that she was going to bring me to the _dark side_.

Jasper didn't really talk that much, but I could tell from his facial expressions and the atmosphere around him that he was happy. Occasionally we would share our interests in history and tell the odd joke to each other, but his attention was for Alice and Alice only.

Rosalie was like a sister to me. I could confide in her in anything, except my real identity. She seemed reluctant to befriend me at first, but after I started talking about cars, she enthusiastically joined in. We stuck up for each other and made fun of Tanya and Lauren.

Emmett was like the brother I never had. He was always goofing around and calling me 'squirt', which kept resulting in us play-fighting, to which Edward would have to pry me off a screaming Emmett. Really, he was just a big teddy bear.

Edward. He was my best friend. Of course, I was afraid of him the most at the beginning, but now I wasn't scared around him at all. It amazed me as to how much we had in common, from liking Debussy to _Call Of Duty. _We would talk about anything and everything and would frequently get shouted at by Mr. Banner for talking in Biology.

For the time being, my life was great. However, the nagging reminder in my head kept me from being truly happy. Jake apologised for almost spilling my secret, but it didn't stop him from pestering me everyday to tell them. The Cullens had been so nice to me and the guilt of not telling them who I really am was eating away at me. I _knew _that I had to tell them soon about me. I was starting to slip out of tough Izzy Sinclair and back into shy Isabella Swan. I think that Will and Scott were starting to notice.

I just prayed that the Cullens wouldn't notice.

**xoxox**

_Finally! _I thought as the bell for lunch rang. I stood up and started packing my stuff away when I felt the floor disappear from beneath me.

"Emmett!" I shrieked, "Put me down!" His booming laughter echoed throughout the room, but obediently set me back on my feet.

"Sure thing squirt!" He ruffled my hair but I childishly smacked his hand away.

"Gees Em, if you did that a few weeks ago, she would have murdered you!" Scott laughed, winking at me.

"Naw, she would have missed me too much." Emmett grinned and I rolled my eyes. I exited the classroom and then smiled as I saw Edward leaning against the lockers opposite.

"Hey." He greeted when I approached him.

"Hey." I whispered back. He smiled at me and I saw that his eyes were smouldering. I got lost in the green depths for a few moments before I shook my head. Emmett and Scott came out of the room and Edward seemed to snap out of his daze.

"Lets go." He muttered, glaring slightly at Emmett. Edward placed his hand on my lower back and started guiding me towards the cafeteria, but I didn't mind that much; he had been doing that a lot. We got into the lunch line and waited patiently, laughing as Emmett whined about being hungry. We eventually got our food and I opted for a Chicken Tortilla wrap with chips and a can of Tango. I started taking my money out of my pockets when a pale hand stopped mine.

"I've got this." Edward grinned, handing the money over to the shocked lunch lady. Her jaw dropped as she stared wide-eyed at Edward. She looked at me and I'm sure my expression matched hers.

"What?" Edward asked innocently.

"I can pay for that myself." I jutted my chin out as Edward rolled his eyes.

"Come on; we don't want to hold up the cue." Edward smirked and led me to our table. Rose, Alice, Jasper and Will were already seated there so Edward pulled out a chair for me.

"Thank you." I mumbled as I took a seat. Edward sat next to me and I noticed from the corner of my eye that Alice was grinning at us like the Cheshire cat. Soon after, Emmett and Scott joined us and we started digging into our food.

"Oh, Izzy, we're going to the park after school today, do you want to come?" Rosalie asked politely.

"Please, please, please, please, please!" Alice begged, bouncing on her seat with every 'please' that was thrown at me. I think that she would have exploded if Jasper didn't place a hand on her shoulder and whisper something in her ear, immediately calming her down.

"You have to teach me how to do that!" I demanded, pointing at Jasper. Everyone laughed as Jasper merely chuckled and shrugged.

"Of course I'll come." I smiled and I quickly covered my ears as Alice squealed with delight.

"Woah Alice, I kind of wanna leave school _with _my hearing." Will said, rubbing his ear.

"Sorry." She giggled. I started munching on a few chips and sipped my Tango when I saw Jessica approaching our table. I looked at her face and saw she looked kind of…sad.

"Hey Jess." I greeted as she stood beside me. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing." She sighed, "Um…can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure." I smiled. I got up from the table and followed her outside into the parking lot. She jumped up onto the brick wall just outside of the office and sat down off it, letting her feet dangle. I jumped up beside her and crossed my legs. We sat in silence for a few minutes until I decided to break it.

"So…what do you want to talk to me about?" I asked curiously. She glanced at me nervously before looking down at her hands that were in her lap.

"Well…um…I-I need your advice." I raised my eyebrow. "You see, there's this…person that I _really _like, but they don't seem to notice me anymore. I want to start a relationship with them but they seem really distant lately." She looked pointedly at me.

"Well, if I were you, I would tell this person how you really feel about them. I mean, you'll only get one chance, right? Why not tell them now?" She nodded excitedly.

"Yes! You're right!" She smiled, but then her face dropped, "How do I tell them though?"

"Hmm." I tapped my chin for a moment and then looked back at her. "Well, you can either engage in conversation and then casually bring it up, or you can tell them straight out."

"Great! I'll do that right now!" She squealed. My curiosity peaked.

"By the way, who is this mystery person that's stolen your heart?" I questioned. She smiled delicately at me and then leaned in a little closer.

"You." She breathed and then all of a sudden, she pressed her lips to mine. I sat frozen, not responding as her lips moved urgently against mine. She cupped my cheek and started licking my lips. I was about to pull away, when an idea came into my head.

_Well, this may be the only lesbian kiss I get…_ Resisting the urge to smile, I opened my mouth and allowed her tongue to explore my mouth. I closed my eyes and kissed her back. After about two full minutes of snogging, we pulled apart for some much needed breath.

"Wow." Jessica breathed.

"That was…" I panted.

"Incredible." She finished. She smiled seductively at me and leaned in for another kiss. I gently grabbed her shoulders and stopped her where she was.

"Listen, Jess. You're a really nice girl and all, but I just don't roll that way." I said, gauging her reaction. Her eyes suddenly started flooding with tears.

"B-But you k-kissed me back!" Before I could speak, she started bawling her eyes out. I placed my arm around her shoulders and cooed at her. Once she calmed down, I began to speak again.

"I promise that if I suddenly start liking girls, you'll be the first one I come to." I comforted her. She looked up and smiled at me. She gave me one last peck on the lips and I smiled back. I jumped off the wall and walked back to the cafeteria, a goofy smile still on my face. I waltzed into the cafeteria and sat down next to Edward.

"What are you smiling about?" He asked. I shook my head at him.

"Nothing." But I couldn't help the small that appeared on my face.

**xoxox**

"Ok, so…what are we doing?" I asked Edward as we sat in Biology. All I heard was Mr. Banner droning on about something and then suddenly, everyone is scrambling around to get equipment.

Edward rolled his eyes and gave me a disapproving look. "Were you listening at all?"

"Hmm…nope." I smiled, popping the 'p'. He sighed and got up, gathering equipment. I idly looked around the classroom when Edward came back with his hands full. He placed the equipment on the table and went off to get something else. I looked at the equipment and saw a scalpel, a microscope and different coloured fluids in glass beakers.

"What?" I whispered, looking horrified at the equipment. Suddenly, a dead frog was placed in front of me. My eyes widened as I pieced two and two together.

"We're dissecting frogs?" I asked. I looked up to see Edward's smug expression.

"Well done Izzy; one gold star for you." He praised, tapping my nose. I scrunched it up in annoyance and he chuckled.

"So, how do we do this?" I asked, standing up and scraping my chair under the desk.

"Why don't you cut open the frog whilst I set up the microscope?" He suggested. I nodded my head and took hold of the scalpel while he grabbed the microscope. I immediately had a dilemma as to how to cut the frog.

"Erm, Edward?" I called. I suddenly felt a warm body press up against my back, trapping me between them and the desk.

"Yes?" He whispered against my hair. His voice was slightly husky and I shuddered a bit.

"T-The frog. How do I…?" I trailed off, my thoughts becoming distracted as I felt Edward's cool breath down my neck. I saw him place his hands around mine. He gently led my hand to the frog and steadily guided me down its stomach. I looked over my shoulder and came into contact with Edward's emerald green eyes. His lips parted and his cool, sweet breath washed over me. He held me in his strong arms for a moment longer and glanced at my lips repeatedly before he started leaning into my face. Just as our lips were about to touch, my mind snapped back into reality and I turned away swiftly. I shimmied out of his arms and we stood awkwardly for a moment.

"Maybe…uh…I should set up the m-microscope." I mumbled. Before he could respond, I turned around and started fumbling with the microscope, chewing on my lip thoughtfully.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

**xoxox**

Edward and I resumed the day like nothing had happened. We continued laughing and joking and just being ourselves. The day ended quickly and before I knew it, we were all speeding down to the park.

"You're it!" I heard Emmett call as he ran out of Scott's Jeep. I opened my car door and laughed as I saw Will in hot pursuit of Scott, Edward and Jasper.

"Boys." Rosalie muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Aww, they can't help it." I teased. We all travelled down to the pond and sat on the banks that surrounded it. I lay on the grass but propped myself up on my elbows. I kept giggling at the boys as they rolled around in the dirt, trying to tag each other, however it soon turned into play fighting.

"Soo, Izzy." Alice addressed me casually; almost _too _casually, "Are you doing anything this week-end?"

"No." I answered, narrowing my eyes wearily. Alice suddenly grinned evilly.

"That settles it then." She clapped happily. I looked at Rose who looked at me horror-struck

"Izzy, what have you done?" She whispered in terror. I looked confusingly between them until Alice exploded.

"SHOPPING!" She screamed loudly.

"Oh God." I groaned, sinking back into the grass.

"_And _when we get back from shopping, we're going to have a sleepover at our house!" She squealed again. I opened my mouth to protest but Rosalie cut me off.

"I wouldn't bother, Izzy. Trust me, I've tried, and it was the worst mistake of my _life_." Rosalie informed me dramatically.

"Why? What did she do?" I whispered.

"You don't want to know." She whispered back ominously. I lay there, dumbstruck until the boys came and flopped down next to us.

"Hello ladies." Emmett greeted, trying to sling a beefy arm around Rosalie. She squealed and squirmed away from him.

"Get away! You're all filthy!" She cried. I chuckled lowly and glanced at Edward. His usual mess of hair was even more messed up. He was covered in dirt and his eyes were wide with excitement, like a little kid on Christmas morning.

"You alright?" I laughed slightly. He nodded his head vigorously, grinning like mad at me. I stretched on the grass and felt my bones crack. I was feeling a bit stiff so I stood up.

"Hey, I'm just going to walk round for a bit; get some feeling back into my legs." I joked. I started walking away when I heard another set of footsteps chase after me.

"Izzy!" Edward called. I turned around and saw him jogging up to me. "I'll come with you." I raised my eyebrow at him.

"It's a free country." I shrugged and continued walking with Edward by my side. After at least a mile of walking around the park, I found a bench to sit on. Edward joined me on the bench and we sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"What do those stand for?" He wondered, tracing the stars on my wrist.

"They represent me, Will and Scott. I got them when I was living in Phoenix." I shrugged.

"Did it hurt?" He asked, looking into my eyes.

"A little bit, but it doesn't really _hurt_; it just stings." He nodded his head thoughtfully.

"I thought about having a tattoo once." Edward said, looking out towards the rest of the park.

"Really?" I was surprised.

"Yeah." He muttered, "When I was in my rebellious years." He smirked, but somehow it didn't reach his eyes. I cocked my head and waited for him to explain.

"Carlisle and Esme aren't my parents. I'm an adopted child. I loved my parents, my _real _parents, very much, even though I was only young. When I was three, my parents died in a house fire, along with the parents of my current siblings.

"I got adopted by Esme and Carlisle, along with Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie. All of us started to become aggressive and hateful. We loved our parents very much, and then to have them suddenly ripped out of your life…" He shook his head sadly. I didn't know what to do so I patted his arm gently. He glanced back at me and smiled.

"We started taking out our anger on other children. They had all had the thing we wanted the most; parents. Sure, we had Carlisle and Esme, but they weren't our _biological_ parents; we even refused to use the name Cullen.

"We started bullying children our age and younger." He breathed in shakily, "We were merciless, ignorant, stupid… I felt powerful at the time. But now as I look back at it, I feel…sick. I feel like a disgrace to my family. Like I…I…" He buried his face in his hands and his back started to tremble.

"Hey, shh. It's ok." I cooed. I moved closer to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. If I was honest, it really _wasn't _ok. He bullied to the brink of insanity. He _made _me move away.

Edward abruptly sat up straight and turned to face me. He held my hands in his and looked into my eyes. It was a good job that I was sitting down otherwise my knees would have bucked.

"Izzy. I know that I've told you about this now, and you probably think I'm repulsive. But please, look at me as the man I am _now_. I'm not like that anymore Izzy; I've changed. Please. I lo- like you Izzy; we were becoming such good…friends." My eyes widened momentarily. He was going to say something before he said "like you". I looked into his eyes and almost screamed at what I saw.

I saw a small boy, begging with me to believe him. I saw a lost soul, needing to be found. I saw a broken man, needing to be fixed.

I rested my forehead against his and looked deep into his pained eyes. I felt an ache in my heart as I saw him looking so…not Edward. I brushed a few strands of hair off his forehead

"What happened in the past stays in the past." I said quietly.

_So why couldn't I believe that?_


	14. What Am I Going To Do?

Chapter 14: What Am I Going To Do?

I craned my neck to look up at the big building in front of me. I gulped nervously and took in a deep breath.

_It won't be that bad…_ I thought to myself. _Yeah right…_

"Come on Izzy!" Alice whined, clamping her hand around my arm and practically dragging me into the building. It still amazed me how someone so small could be so strong.

"Let the girl breathe, Alice." Jasper scolded gently. Alice huffed but complied, letting my arm out of her vice grip. I rubbed it with my hand.

"Gees, what are you giving this girl? Protein shakes?" I guessed. I saw Alice roll her eyes and stick her tongue out at me childishly.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Rosalie snickered as she and Emmett followed Jasper and Alice.

"Do we have to go in?" I sighed, looking up at Edward.

"Yeah. Alice will have our heads if we don't." His lips twitched in amusement. I pouted and looked at him from underneath my eyelashes. Suddenly, his breathing hitched and his pupils started dilating.

"Hey, are you ok?" I asked, concern lacing my words. Edward shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He mumbled. I raised an eyebrow at him but shrugged it off. We followed the group into the mall and I gasped when I saw the inside of it. There were endless rows of shops and to make it worse, there were two floors.

"Oh my God." I breathed. Suddenly, I wished that I had gone back to visit Phoenix with Will and Scott.

"Alright, so I say we split." Alice announced, turning to us. "Jasper, Emmett and Edward, and me, Rosalie and Izzy." I gulped and clung onto Edward's arm.

"Save me." I mouthed, but he simply smiled and chuckled slightly. I glanced at Alice and saw a serious expression on her face.

"Right, we have five hours until we meet up for lunch and…" I tuned her out as I was already imagining my grave stone;

**Here lies Isabella Swan, also known as Izzy Sinclair,**

**Beloved Daughter and Friend,**

"**She was too young to die…but that's what shopping with Alice Brandon does to you…"**

I was suddenly pulled out of my thoughts as Alice latched onto my arm and started dragging me past the crowds of people with Rosalie following close behind.

"Alice, why do we need to go shopping for _five hours_?" I asked when the boys were out of hearing range.

"Because we need to get stuff for the Winter Formal!" She rolled her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then why did you bring me along?" I wondered.

"Because you need to get a dress for it."

"But I'm not going." I replied. Big mistake.

Alice spun around to face me, making me walk into her slightly.

"What do you mean you're not going?" She shouted. I shrunk back a little as her face held a picture of pure anger.

"As in, I'm not going to the dance. Besides, it's not as if anyone will miss me, nobody's asked me." I shrugged. Her eyes narrowed for a minute before she mumbled something under her breath. I couldn't hear her properly but I'm sure I heard the words "Edward" and "stupid".

"Please Izzy! You _have _to go!" Alice cried.

"Why?" I asked, perplexed.

"Because there is a certain someone who will miss you if you don't." She said, defiantly.

"Well, I'm sure this certain _someone _will be fine without me." I snapped.

"Please Izzy." I heard Rosalie beg. I turned around to face her. "It would make us feel guilty knowing that you were at home on your own."

I sighed and looked at Alice who unleashed her puppy dog eyes on me.

"Please." She mouthed, her bottom lip quivering.

"Ugh, fine!" I threw my hands up in surrender. Both Alice and Rosalie grinned and hugged me.

"You won't regret this Izzy!" Alice sang as she danced ahead of us.

"I bet I will." I mumbled so that no one could hear me.

**xoxox**

"Alice, my feet hurt!" I whined. We had been in a grand total of twenty shops and had around fifty shopping bags, all of which Alice paid for much to my annoyance.

"Oh hush! We've got to meet for lunch anyway in a minute." Alice sighed. I internally did a happy dance.

"Thank God." I breathed. Alice scowled at me before turning back to the clothes rack that she was looking through.

After Alice had _finally _declared that we had finished shopping, I practically ran to the food court. My stomach was rumbling as Alice hadn't even let me or Rosalie have a break from trying on clothes. As I ran, I noticed the boys sitting around a table in the food court, laughing at something that Jasper had said. I stopped and looked at Edward for a moment and observed how his eyes lit up when he was happy, or how he ran his fingers through his untameable bronze hair.

"Jesus Izzy, don't run so fast!" Rosalie gasped as she and Alice stopped next to me.

"Sorry." I mumbled sheepishly, looking down at my shoes.

"Oh look! The guys are already here." Alice trilled, "Let's go." She started pulling me along and I was thankful as I would have collapsed without the support.

"Hey girlies!" Emmett greeted as we sat down. I placed my head on the table and groaned.

"What's wrong Izzy?" I heard Edward's voice, close to me.

"She can't handle one of Alice's shopping sprees." Rosalie chuckled, rubbing my back. To prove that point further, I groaned a bit louder.

When I regained a bit of my strength, we decided to order our food. We talked for ages about what we had bought and the guys just looked on, not surprised by the amount that Alice had bought.

It was reaching three o'clock when we decided to head to their house. Alice had already picked up my over night bag this morning and had placed it in her house. We drove back to her house and then scrambled to get inside, what could only be described as, their mansion. It was _huge_!

"Ok, everybody into the living room and make a circle!" Alice called as she danced into it. We all followed and obliged to her demand.

"Why are we sitting here?" Rosalie asked Alice.

"Truth or dare!" Alice squealed. A mischievous grin spread on Emmett's face and he rubbed his hands together.

"Excellent." He smirked.

"Pipe down Mr. Burns." I told him which caused everyone to laugh.

"Ok, I'll go first." Alice smiled, tapping her chin. "Rosalie, truth or dare?"

"Truth." She replied.

"Have you ever had sex with Emmett?" Alice asked. Rosalie's face dropped slightly in embarrassment.

"Yes." She said quietly.

"Rose!" Jasper gasped which had us cracking up.

"Alright, alright, belt up." Rosalie threatened. "Jasper, truth or dare?"

"Dare." He grinned.

"I dare you to not change your clothes for a week." Rosalie smirked. Jasper gulped and looked at Alice who was glaring murderously at Jasper's clothes.

"O-Ok." He stuttered. He glanced at Alice and then cringed at the look she was giving him.

"Um…Emmett, truth or dare?" Jasper turned to Emmett.

"Pssh, dare obviously." Emmett grinned, ready for whatever Jasper was going to throw at him. An evil glint entered Jasper's eye.

"I dare you not to touch Rosalie for the rest of the night." He smiled smugly. Emmett and Rosalie's jaws dropped open.

"What!" They cried.

"You heard." Jasper grinned wickedly.

"I'm _so _gonna get you for this, dude." Emmett mumbled, shuffling away from Rosalie. He immediately turned to me.

"Izzy, truth or dare?" He asked.

"Dare." I said without a moment's hesitation. I figured that it's better to do something you don't particularly like then have your secrets spilled out to other people. Emmett glanced between me and Edward for a few times before he grinned.

"I dare you to sit on Eddie's lap for the rest of the game." My eyes widened and I looked at Edward who was glaring slightly at Emmett. Edward met my eyes for a moment and then sighed, opening his arms. I swallowed nervously and crawled into them, getting comfortable on his lap. He tenderly placed his arms around my waist and we both exhaled. I would never admit it out loud, but I liked the way that this felt.

"Alice, truth or dare?" I asked. She tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Truth." She smiled at me. I bit my lip and thought for a moment and I couldn't help what I came up with.

"What's the worse thing you've ever done to anyone?" I blurted out. I immediately regretted it as her face turned grave. I saw the others stiffen slightly.

"I…um…hit someone." She mumbled, looking down. I saw Jasper give her a reassuring hug and felt Edward's arms tighten around me.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to cause offence." I apologised, but deep down, I wasn't sorry. Some part of me wanted to see them suffer from all that they had put me through.

"It's ok." She smiled slightly. Suddenly, she perked up once again. "Rosalie, truth or dare."

"Dare." Rosalie sighed.

"I dare you to kiss Izzy on the lips for a full minute." Alice smiled. Rosalie looked over to me and smirked, beckoning me over with her finger. I smiled slightly and got out of Edward's arms.

_Looks like I'll have a second lesbian kiss…_I chuckled slightly. Rosalie sat up and kneeled as I kneeled in front of her.

"Tell me when." She told Alice.

"One minute starting from…now." Alice called. Rosalie immediately crashed her lips to mine and I responded, kissing her back. We continued like that until the minute was up.

"Damn Rose, if I went for girls, you would be on the top of my list." I said, causing her to laugh. "Emmett, watch out, or I might steal your woman from you." I joked as I walked back to Edward. I settled down into his lap and he immediately wrapped his arms around me again.

"Damn Rosie, that was _hot_!" I heard Emmett whisper to her, but of course, everyone heard it. We continued to play truth or dare for the next hour and I got a really good kick out of the game when Rosalie dared the boys to do sexy dancing for us.

Eventually, we piped down and began to talk about school. We ordered pizza and it came half an hour later and I had to admit, it was delicious.

"Oh my God!" Alice screamed, running to the window. "It's snowing!" We all scrambled up and looked out of the window. It was indeed snowing, with snow falling heavily onto the already white ground. It must have been snowing for a while then.

Once we finished our pizza, I glanced at the clock at saw that it was six o'clock in the evening.

"Movie time!" Alice screamed. We decided to watch _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_. Emmett ran to set up the DVD as me, Alice and Rosalie went into the kitchen to grab drinks and popcorn.

"So, are you enjoying the night so far?" Alice asked me and I nodded my head, waiting for the popcorn to warm up.

"I think she enjoyed sitting on Edward's lap the most." I immediately spun around and saw Rosalie smirking at me.

"Ha-ha." I laughed sarcastically.

"Seriously Izzy, do you like Edward?" Alice's expression told me that she wasn't joking around.

"Of course I like Edward; he's one of my best friends." I shrugged, purposely avoiding what she was really asking.

"Oh, come off it Izzy!" Rosalie complained.

"What? We are just friends. And even _if _I liked him as more than just a friend, there is no way he would like me in _that _way." I glared, turning back to the popcorn.

"You are so blind." Rosalie mumbled.

"What do you mean?" I asked, focusing on the popcorn. Someone grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. I found myself staring at Alice.

"Don't you _see_ the way Edward looks at you? It's like he's just seen the sun for the first time! I've never seen him so happy since he's made friends with you. He talks about you non-stop to Esme and Carlisle!" She huffed.

"It's true." Rosalie piped in. I stared at them for a moment and started feeling uncomfortable.

"Look," I sighed, "believe what you want to believe. But I know that Edward and I are only friends." Alice smacked her forehead and groaned as I grabbed my bowl of popcorn and stormed back into the living room. I looked around and sat down on the single chair. I ate a bit of my popcorn before Alice and Rosalie marched in and took a seat next to their significant other.

"Come on Eddie-boy!" Emmett boomed with the controller in his hand. Edward bounced into the room and searched the room, his eyes immediately brightening when he found me. However, his face dropped slightly as e saw what chair I was in. His eyes went from the other single chair to me before he started making his way over to where I was sitting.

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no! _I thought as he sat down on the floor in front of me. He shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable.

"You know, there is another chair over there." I murmured to him. He simply shook his head and leaned back against my legs. I sighed and ruffled his hair and he looked up to me with a lazy smile on his face. Alice danced over and turned the lights off as the movie began.

After half an hour, I glanced around the room and saw Alice and jasper cuddling up to each other and so were Rosalie and Emmett. _Looks like that dare didn't last very long._

Suddenly, I started to feel nauseated. I was practically lying through my teeth at these people and I couldn't help but feel sick at my actions. Over the past few days I had been seriously thinking about telling them who I really was. It would hurt more if I delayed it any further.

The room started to feel crowded and I couldn't breathe properly. I quickly got up out of my seat.

"I'm just going to go for a walk." I announced, "I'll be back in a bit." Everyone watched as I walked out of the dark room. I quickly grabbed my jacket and shrugged it on. I opened the front door and was immediately hit by the cold. It was dark but it had stopped snowing, allowing the already fallen snow to stay on the ground. I sighed and started walking towards the forest, the snow crunching under my shoes.

"Izzy, wait!" A voice called. I turned around and saw Edward running towards me, buttoning up his jacket.

"Can I come with you?" He asked nervously. I looked up at him and saw a hopeful glint in his eye. Suddenly, Alice's words came flooding back to me.

"_Don't you _see_ the way Edward looks at you?" _I shook my head and glanced back at Edward.

"It's a free country." I mumbled. The smile that lit up his face was brilliant and we started walking towards the forest.


	15. I Can't Do This Anymore

Chapter 15: I Can't Do This Anymore

A comfortable silence ensued as Edward and I walked side by side through the lush, green forest. I looked at the sky and saw the dark grey clouds overhead. We would have to be back before it got completely dark.

"So…" Edward began.

"So…" I repeated and he shot me a wry glance.

"What do you plan on doing after high school?" He asked curiously. His question caught me off guard slightly; I hadn't really thought about a career.

I shrugged, "I'm not sure. Obviously I want to go to college, but career-wise I have no idea. What about you?"

"I'm thinking about going into music." He said. I stopped walking for a moment, shocked.

"Really?"

"Yes. You seem surprised." He smirked. I rolled my eyes and started walking again.

"So, do you play an instrument?" I became curious to know more about him.

"Piano." He replied.

"And you never told me?" I placed my hand over my heart and faked hurt.

"I'm sorry." He apologised quickly, but I could see his lips twitching, fighting a smile. I dropped my hand and continued walking.

"You'll have to play it for me." I decided, nodding my head. Edward smiled back at me.

"Alright." We decided to play twenty questions for a while. I found out that his favourite music genre was classical, although he liked pop, his favourite food was pizza and his parents' names were Elizabeth and Edward Sr.

"What's your favourite colour?" I looked down at the ground and waited for his response.

"Brown." He blurted out. I looked up at him in puzzlement.

"Why on earth do you like that colour?" He looked into my eyes, searching for something until he sighed and looked away.

"No reason. What about yours?"

"Green." I almost yelled. I looked down in embarrassment. My real favourite colour was blue, but Edward's eyes were green…

"Green? Why?" I could hear the smugness in his voice, but it was still hinted with genuine curiosity.

"No reason." I smirked. Suddenly, a cold wind whipped at my face, making my hair blow in all directions.

"Whoa." I stumbled, trying to fight against the wind. Once it died down, I looked up and gasped at what I saw.

"The park." I whispered. It was covered in pure white snow with glistening icicles frozen on most of the trees. I noticed that the pond in the centre had been frozen over with ice.

"Wow." Edward murmured. I tucked my hands in my jacket pockets and slowly walked towards the pond, taking everything in. We wandered aimlessly towards the fountain and stopped at the edge. I placed my hand on the cool ice and pressed down.

"It's frozen solid." I gasped, quickly shoving my hand back in my pocket. I looked at Edward and he seemed to be having an internal battle. Suddenly, he stepped up onto the edge of the fountain and carefully stepped on the ice.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at him, but he simply turned to me and smiled. He carefully walked further towards the centre of the frozen pond.

"It's stable." I heard him say. He turned back to me and slowly walked forward. I looked up to him as he was in front of me. He reached out an open hand to me and my eyes widened as I knew what he wanted.

"No way." I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.

"Please, Izzy?" Edward pouted adorably. I could already feel my will crumbling.

"I don't have any blades." I sighed.

"You don't need any." He whispered back. I looked into his emerald eyes that I had grown to love. I saw nothing but trust, hope and another emotion that I couldn't place.

Regretting my decision already, I placed my hand in his, shuddering when I felt the electric shock run up my arm from where our skin touched. Edward gently and carefully pulled me up next to him. He started sliding backwards on the ice, not letting go of my hand and I found myself sliding along with him. He smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back. He kept my left hand in his left one and wrapped his right arm around my waist, steadying me. We started skating across the ice and for once, I felt completely happy. Bursts of joy sprang in my stomach and I couldn't help but laugh as we skated in the cold. Edward laughed along with me and started spinning me on the ice. We laughed and smiled as we twisted and turned on the ice and I didn't care _who _he was at that moment.

Suddenly, my foot caught on the ice and I tumbled forward into Edward's arms. They constricted around me and I found myself feeling safe and warm. I held onto his shoulders as I tried to regain my balance and I looked up into his eyes to thank him, but my breath caught in my throat.

He looked down at me, his green eyes smoldering. His cheeks were pink from the cold and his ears had a tinge of red to them. My lips parted slightly and he glanced down at them. I knew then and there that I had to tell him who I was; I couldn't keep it bottled up any longer.

"Edward." I whispered. He drew his eyes away from my lips and looked back into my eyes.

"There's something I need to tell you." I continued. He kept his eyes fixed on mine and nodded for me to go on.

"I'm…well….I am…um…" God, why was it so hard to say? I sucked in a deep breath. "I am-" He placed his cold fingers against my warm lips, silencing me.

"You don't have to tell me." He whispered. He moved his fingers from my lips and stroked my cheek.

"But I do." I mumbled. He shook his head.

"You've always been a mystery, Izzy Sinclair. You're a puzzle that I cannot seem to solve." He smiled gently down at me.

"Is that a good thing?" I whispered, leaning closer to him.

"That is a _very _good thing." He whispered against my lips. I closed my eyes as his lips brushed against mine. Fireworks exploded in my stomach. He leaned back slightly and then pressed his lips against mine more firmly. My hands had a mind of their own as they wound their way up into Edward's hair. His arms wrapped around my waist and pulled our bodies closer together. His warm body pressed against mine and I shuddered in pleasure. I ran my fingers through his soft hair and he moaned quietly in my mouth. He licked and nibbled my bottom lip and I opened my mouth, allowing his tongue to explore my mouth.

I pulled away slightly and kissed him softly a few more times before breaking apart. I opened my eyes and looked into his. They were darker than usual and his hair was all messed up thanks to my fingers. I laughed softly and tried to smooth his hair down.

"Sorry about that." I smiled. Edward took my hands from his hair and kissed my palms.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." He sighed happily. I smiled at him and found my heartbeat picking up it's pace. He leaned in and captured my lips with his once again.

**xoxox**

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad." Edward chuckled as he rubbed soothing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.

"No, it really was. She dragged us around the mall for _five hours_!" I whined. After more kisses, we decided that it would be safer for both of us if we got off the ice and to the ground. We had been wondering around the park for the past hour, hand-in-hand, talking about our worst memories.

"It's not as bad as when she dragged me around the mall for _nine _hours." Edward murmured.

"Oh, you poor thing!" I cried. I stood in front of him and wrapped my arms around his torso, leaning my head against his chest. I could hear his heartbeat and immediately sighed at the sound. I breathed in his smell and sighed in content; he smelt like deodorant and sunshine. His strong, warm arms wrapped around me tightly.

"I know." He sighed, kissing my hair.

"How on earth did you recover? My legs are still aching from that trip!"

"I didn't." Edward whispered. He placed a finger under my chin and tilted my head up so that I was looking in his eyes. I felt my knees go weak.

"But you could kiss it better." He smiled innocently at me. I grinned back and leaned on my tiptoes, placing my lips on his. One of his hands moved from my waist to cup my cheek. We pulled away for some much needed breath.

"What were you shopping for anyway?" Edward mumbled against my forehead, placing a soft kiss on it.

"Dresses for the dance." I made a face. "I don't know why I even bothered, nobody's asked me." Edward put me at arms length and stared into my eyes.

"Go with me." He demanded softly. I smiled and attacked his lips with my own.

"Alright." I sighed against his lips. I shivered slightly from the cold and his arms tightened around me.

"We should be heading back." Edward whispered. I looked up at the sky and saw that it was getting dark.

"If we must." I sighed. Edward gave me one more kiss before we walked back to their house. We talked adamantly all the way and stole a few more kisses as the house came into view.

"Ready for the wrath of Alice?" Edward whispered, his voice like velvet.

"No…let's go." I started walking towards the house with my hand gripping Edward's. He chuckled behind me, but I ignored him and kept pulling him along. We went through the front door where we were immediately bombarded by a little pixie.

"Where the hell were you? I've been worried sick!" She screamed, her face going bright red. Edward held up our entwined hands and Alice froze for a moment. I immediately cringed back into Edward as Alice squealed.

"Oh my God!" Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper all ran in to see what the commotion was about, they immediately spotted our hands.

"Woohoo! Go Eddie!" Emmett cheered, punching his fist in the air. Jasper simply smiled and offered his congratulations whilst Rosalie smiled smugly at me.

"It only took you a total of four weeks to ask her out." Alice giggled.

"Shut up." Edward mumbled in embarrassment.

"Four weeks?" I asked, looking around at the faces of my friends.

"Yeah, he would stop telling us about how much he liked you." Emmett rolled his eyes, but the Rosalie smacked the back of his head. I looked up to Edward who had a pink tinge to his cheeks.

"Aww, you're blushing." I said softly. He squirmed and then buried his head in my neck.

"We're all paired off now!" Alice clapped. "Alice and Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, Edward and Izzy!" My mind immediately went blank and guilt started eating away at me once again. They had all been led falsely by me. Edward didn't like me; he liked Izzy Sinclair. I bit my tongue to stop the traitor tears from showing.

The rest of the night was spent watching _50 First Dates_ with me sat on Edward's lap. He kept kissing my neck throughout the movie and the guilt ripped more away from me. After the movie finished, we all talked for a bit until it reached eleven o'clock.

"Bed time!" Alice announced, "So, us girlies are going to get changed in my room and then I'll sleep in Jazzy's room, Rosalie with sleep in Emmett's room and Izzy will sleep in Edward's room." I gulped quietly as Alice dragged me up the stairs along with Rosalie. She pushed us into a room stuffed with pink and then handed me a Royal blue pyjama tank top with matching shorts that came to mid-thigh.

"Do I really need to wear these?" I moaned, glancing at Alice.

"Yes." Her tone indicated that there was no argument about it. I sighed heavily and changed into the stupid pyjamas. I looked at Rosalie and saw that she had dressed in the same but in a ruby red and Alice was in a soft pink. I brushed my hair and cleaned my teeth in Alice's ensuite.

"Go, go, go!" She whisper-yelled excitedly, pushing me out of her room and to Edward's door. I cleared my throat and knocked on his door. After a few moments, it opened, revealing Edward in a white short-sleeved shirt and stripy pyjama bottoms.

"Hey." He smiled.

"Hi." I whispered back. He opened the door wider and I shuffled through into his room. The walls were cream and soft, golden carpet rubbed against my feet. There was a stereo system in the corner with shelves upon shelves of CDs. In the middle of his room was a black, sleek leather sofa and on the north wall lay a golden double bed which looked very inviting. I was brought out of my gazing as I felt warm fingers run down my bare arms. I turned to look at Edward who was gazing down at me in adoration.

"That colour looks lovely against your skin." He murmured, stroking my cheek gently. Despite my inner protests, I selfishly leaned up and kissed him on the lips. It started out sweet but soon turned into passion. We poured all of hour feelings into this kiss as Edward backed me up against the bed. Once my legs hit the mattress, I fell onto it, pulling Edward down on top of me. We continued to make-out on his bed until I started getting tired. I rolled us over and put my head on his chest as he wrapped the quilt around us. He kissed my forehead tenderly before turning off his lamp.

"Goodnight Izzy." He whispered before I fell into a deep sleep…

"_Edward, where are we going?" I yelled happily as he dragged me through the woods by my hand. He looked back at me with a smile on his face._

"_It's a surprise!" He yelled back. We continued running until we came to a large clearing. There stood the rest of the Cullens; Alice, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie. I smiled at them, but they didn't smile back. As I looked closer, I saw that they were all glaring at me._

_I was suddenly pushed back by Edward and landed on my back. They all hovered around me with sneers on their faces._

"_You lied to us." Emmett spat. I cringed away from them and felt the tears spilling over my eyes._

"_You can never be one of us now that we know what you have done." Rosalie taunted._

"_We should have known it was __**you**__." Jasper hissed._

"_We were better off without you; happier without you." Alice sneered. I looked up to Edward to see the disgust written on his face._

"_I can't believe I actually liked you. You're nothing to me; nothing." Edward's voice was calm and devoid of emotion which only made him scarier. I tried to shuffle backwards, but they grabbed my legs and arms, pinning me down to the ground. I cried out in pain._

"_Go on; scream. No one will hear you." They cackled as they started pulling me apart._

_Scream._

_Scream._

_**Scream.**_

I awoke with a start. I felt the sweat drip down my back, my hair was matted and I felt the tears trickle down my face. I looked to my right and saw Edward sleeping peacefully. It was still dark in his room and I glanced at his alarm clock;

**03:47**

I sighed and sat up groggily, wiping the tears from my face. I shook with fear as I remembered my dream. My heart broke into pieces and I stared blankly at the wall in front of me.

"I can't do this anymore." I whispered. I ran my trembling hand through my hair and carefully peeled the sheets off my body. I crept into Alice's room, thankful that she was sleeping with Jasper, and gathered my clothes. I quickly changed and folded up the pyjamas on a neat pile on her bed. I grabbed my overnight bag and silently walked back into Edward's room.

I looked at his face and saw the innocent boy that I was seeing more and more of. His hair was even messier than when he tried to tame it and a small smile lit up his features. I leaned over to him and kissed his forehead.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. He shuffled slightly and I froze, hoping that I wouldn't get caught. But thankfully, he rolled over onto his stomach and sighed, going back to sleep. I breathed a sigh of relief and didn't bother trying to stop the tears that fell down my face. I silently walked out of his room and closed it gently. I carefully walked downstairs until I came to the front door. I looked around the house one more time.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered into the darkness. I opened the front door and closed it gently, not wanting to wake anyone up. I hugged my jacket closer to me and slung my bag over my shoulder. Ignoring the snow, I trudged down their driveway, leaving the Cullens behind me for good.


	16. The Truth Hurts

Chapter 16: The Truth Hurts

The rain splashed against the concrete, washing away the snow. The tears from my eyes kept falling onto the pavement as my head remained down. I trudged through the sludge, knowing that there were only two people who I wanted to see.

I reached the familiar block of flats and was momentarily blinded by the light of the foyer. I shakily pushed open the doors and allowed the warm air to comfort me. I walked up the stairs and kept walking aimlessly until I found the right door. I wearily lifted my hand and knocked three times on the door.

"What the hell?" I heard muffling from inside.

"It's half past four in the morning!" Some one else groaned. I tried in vain to wipe the tears that were streaming down my face, but more came. The door opened to reveal a topless Will rubbing his eyes.

"What?" He groaned, but as soon as he saw me, his eyes widened. "Izzy!" He pulled me into a warm hug, "What's wrong?"

"C-Can I come in?" I blubbered. He rubbed my back as he led me over to the couch.

"Iz!" I heard Scott shout as he enveloped me in another hug. They carefully placed me on the couch and Will brought me in a glass of water.

"T-Thank you." I tried to smile, but I couldn't stop my lips that were turning down. I chugged down the water gratefully and took some deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. Scott took my hand.

"Jesus Iz, you're freezing!" He ran out to his bedroom and came back with a blanket. He draped it over my arms and I instinctively hugged it closer to myself. Will sat down on my right whilst Scott sat on my left.

"Now, tell us what's wrong." Will soothed. I sniffed.

"Well, I w-was at the C-C-Cullens' house and I went for a walk and E-Edward came with me. W-We wound up at the park and then we k-kissed and got together. We went back to his house and slept in the same room. It was going great but…but…" I couldn't say anymore so I started wailing.

"I don't want to do this anymore! I don't wanna lie anymore! I want to be Isabella Swan. I want to be the shy girl who cared more about her friends and grades then anything else; not this stranger who acts tough and doesn't care about anything!" I screamed. Will and Scott both stared at me in shock.

"You…you _kissed _him." Scott whispered. I couldn't find my voice so I nodded. Nobody talked or even moved after that. We all sat on the couch, deep in our own thoughts. A dusty rose light started shining through the window and I knew that dawn was approaching, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

"What are you gonna do?" Will asked quietly. I took a deep breath; my decision had already been made.

"I need to tell them the truth." I whispered.

**EPOV:**

A bright light shone through my closed eyes and I groaned, wanting more sleep. Memories came flooding back from yesterday with Izzy and I smiled happily. I had been trying to tell her how much I liked her for _ages_; Alice was even threatening to tell Izzy herself. The kiss we shared in the park was the best kiss of my life and I knew that she was the one.

Ever since I had met her, I had changed. I started feeling like I was alive again. She seemed to take away all my sorrow and regret without realising it. It was as if she had saved me from my dull, inexcusable life.

I rolled over, reaching out to where her soft body should be, but my arms came in contact with the mattress. I frowned and cracked one of my eyes open, only to find that she wasn't in my bed. I opened my eyes fully and sat up, hoping that she was still in my room.

"Izzy?" I called out. I heard no response in return. I looked at my alarm clock and it read quarter-to-ten.

_Maybe she went downstairs for breakfast?_ I thought. I flopped back onto my bed and stretched my muscles. I put my face in her pillow and breathed in her strawberry scent. It was heavenly and I wished that I could wake up to that smell every morning. I grinned goofily at the thought.

I jumped out of bed, already aching to see her. I quickly went into the shower and brushed my teeth before throwing on some fresh clothes. The smile wouldn't stay off my face as I was so happy.

I bounded down the stairs, eager to be near her. I wanted to take her in my arms and feel her lips against mine. I wanted to run my fingers through her soft, silky hair and stroke her perfect skin.

I ran into the kitchen and searched it with hopeful eyes. But I couldn't see her anywhere.

"I don't know where she is either." Alice said in a monotone voice. I looked down at her sitting at the island with nothing but a glass of water in front of her.

"What do you mean?" I frowned. She sighed and looked out of the window.

"When I woke up this morning, I went to peek into your room to see how you were doing. But when I looked in, it was just you on your own, sleeping. I searched the _whole _house trying to find her, but she's not here. I've tried calling her several times but she won't pick up her phone." I started panicking; Izzy was missing.

"Are you sure you checked everywhere? You didn't miss any rooms?" I asked in a rush.

"I'm sure, Edward. I even checked Emmett's room and believe me; I'll be having nightmares for a month!" She tried to crack a smile, but it ended up warped. I raked my hand through my hair, tugging on the roots before grabbing my car keys.

"Where are you going?" Alice called, scrambling after me.

"I need to find her." I said, throwing on my jacket. Alice's phone started ringing and we both ran into the kitchen to grab it. However, Alice grabbed it first.

"Hello?" She breathed. Someone talked to her on the other end.

"Oh thank God; is she ok?" My head snapped up to look at her; had someone found Izzy?

"I see. Yes. Alright, let me know when she gets better. Bye!" She hung up and then looked in my eyes.

"Izzy is with Will and Scott." I started striding out of the door when she grabbed my arm.

"No, Edward. She doesn't want us there." An ache started in my chest and I swallowed thickly; she didn't want us? She didn't want _me_?

"It's not like that. She feels really ill and didn't want to impose on our plans." She rolled her eyes, "She said that she'd see us on Monday." She confirmed.

"That's ridiculous!" I exclaimed. If Izzy woke up ill, I would have taken care of her. "Why didn't you tell her that we wouldn't have minded?"

"It wasn't Izzy on the phone; it was Will." I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Fine." I muttered, throwing my keys back onto the table. I slumped in my chair as Alice rubbed my shoulder.

_I hope she feels better by Monday; I need to talk to her…_

**BPOV:**

After spending the day lying around at Will and Scott's apartment, they took me home. Charlie wasn't back yet so I trudged up the stairs and collapsed onto my bed, not bothering to eat or change.

I tossed and turned all night, not being able to sleep. There was something heavy in my stomach, making me feel sick with anxiety. Knowing I wouldn't be getting any sleep, I rolled out of bed and put on my dressing gown. I glanced at my alarm clock;

**05:26**

_Wow, that's gone fast…_I mused, but I pushed it aside. I slowly opened my door, trying not to disturb Charlie who I could hear snoring. I crept down the stairs silently and wandered to the kitchen. The sun was beginning to rise and I could see the hints of yellow, orange and pink chasing away the darkness. I opened my back door and welcomed the wind that whistled past me, blowing my hair around my face. I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

_There's no going back now…_

After an hour or so of enjoying my last moments of peace, I walked back into the house and had a shower. For once, I didn't allow the water to soothe me as it ran in streams down my back. I didn't allow my strawberry shampoo to comfort and relax me as it lathered my hair. I got out of the shower and dried myself off, padding back into my bedroom. I dried and straightened my hair and threw on my blue skinny jeans, black tank top and covered myself with my thick, black hoodie. I tied up my black converse shoes and then slowly walked down the stairs, reciting the 'Death March' in my head. I didn't think that my stomach could digest anything so I skipped out on breakfast. I prayed that time would go slower, but no Gods were listening to me today. I grabbed my keys, bag and headed out into the cold morning. I stiffly got into my car and took some deep breaths.

_You can do this, they deserve to know; everybody deserves to know._ I chanted in my head as I sped down the roads. All too soon I reached the school and my fears were confirmed when students started piling into the school. I swiftly parked my car and was about to get out.

"Shit!" I yelled as I saw the familiar silver Volvo and the familiar family standing around it. I chanted my line in my head again and got out of my car, throwing my hood over my head. I swiftly walked into the office and looked back to the car park, sighing in relief when I realised that they hadn't recognised me.

My relief soon vanished when the bell rang for first period. I gulped, knowing that I would have to sit by Alice. Keeping my head down and my bag close to my side, I walked quickly down the corridor and into my English room and I cursed to the Heavens as Alice sat in her seat. I reluctantly sat down next to her and almost cried when I felt her arms wrap around me.

"Oh Izzy, thank goodness you're alright!" She cried and held me tighter. I didn't respond to her and shrugged her off.

"Izzy?" She whispered, hurt in her voice. I wanted nothing more than to comfort her in that moment. I kept kicking myself internally; _she'll want nothing to do with you after today!_

I ignored her throughout the lesson and kept hearing her sniffle, seeing tear drops falling onto her text book. As soon as the bell rang, I sprinted to History.

For the rest of the morning I ignored the Cullens. They would try and talk to me and I would either turn and talk to someone else or act like I hadn't heard them. By lunch time I felt emotionally drained. Seeing the hurt look on their faces was killing me.

"It's for the best." Will whispered gently as I buried my face into his chest and sobbed at lunch. Scott gave me a comforting hug.

"You can sit by them if you want." My voice cracked as we walked to the cafeteria. Will wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"I'm staying with you." He stated and Scott nodded in agreement. I kept my head down and felt the eyes of students burning into my head. I had kept my hood up all day and I was not going to let it down now. We bought lunch and sat at one of the secluded tables at the back.

"They're staring." Scott whispered and I knew who he was talking about. We ate lunch in silence and I felt sick to my stomach. The bell for Biology rang and I felt dizzy.

"Hey Iz, it's gonna be ok." Will comforted. I nodded my thanks to him and gave them one last hug before reluctantly heading to Biology.

I didn't need to look up to know that Edward was staring at me. I tried to make my movements as slow as I could without seeming suspicious. As soon as I sat in my seat, Edward grabbed my hand under the table and leaned into me.

"What's wrong?" His sweet breath fanned over my face. _I'm going to miss his smell._ I looked up at him and shook my head. He moved a bit closer and started stroking my back.

"Please Izzy; you can tell me anything." I almost burst into tears at his statement. I turned to face him and he leaned his forehead against mine.

"Please." He whispered, his eyes tortured.

"Mr. Masen! Ms. Sinclair! Separate!" Mr. Banner barked. We both shuffled away from each other but Edward kept my hand in his under the desk throughout the lesson. As the bell rang I ripped my hand out of his and bolted through the door, my eyes brimming with tears. I ignored Edward's calls to come back and ran to the girls' toilets. I locked myself in a cubical and cried my eyes out until home time. I looked down at my hands and saw that they were trembling. I heaved myself off the floor and unlocked the cubical, looking into the mirror.

My face was a deathly pale and my eyes seemed darker, almost black. They were shrunken into my head and my whole body was shaking from head to toe. My hair hung lifelessly from under my hood and my eyes had red rings around tem from crying so much, accompanied with bags under them from lack of sleep. I splashed cold water on my face and looked in the mirror once more.

_It's time._

I turned and walked out of the girls' toilets and headed towards the back of the school. The rain drizzled lazily onto the ground and I avoided the puddles that were trying to block my path. All of a sudden, someone grabbed me from behind and pushed me against the wall. Before I could scream, soft lips attached themselves to mine hungrily. I recognised the taste as Edward's and my body reacted immediately, kissing him back.

My mind clicked back into place and I let him go, only to try and push him back. He wouldn't budge, but held me tighter against him, trying to force my mouth open with his tongue. I turned my head to the side and he proceeded to shower my neck in kisses.

"No, no Edward. Stop." I mumbled against him. His kisses died down and he cupped my face in his hands, looking straight into my eyes; into my _soul_.

"Tell me what's wrong." He demanded. I coughed slightly.

"Nothing's wrong." I muttered weakly, but I knew he didn't buy the lie as his eyes narrowed.

"So you're just ignoring me and my family for no reason?" He accused. I shook my head and looked down at the floor.

"It's complicated." I whispered. The rain started falling heavier and we were both starting to get soaked.

"For God's sake Izzy!" He shouted, making me jump, "I've practically told you about my past that nobody else knows about! Why can't you trust me enough to tell me what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me." I argued which was partly true; there wasn't anything physically wrong with me.

"Oh I beg to differ." He snarled. He backed me up against the brick wall and placed his hands on either side of my head.

"I'm not letting you go until you tell me what's wrong with you." He whispered lowly. I looked at his face, twisted into a scowl. Memories flashed before my eyes of when he used to trap me against my will.

"Please don't look at me like that." I whispered, avoiding his gaze.

"Like what?" He asked irritably. I sighed quietly and looked down. He sighed and moved his face closer to mine.

"It's not that I _want _to know. I…I _need _to know, Izzy. I need to know so that I can make you happy again." I looked into his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity and love.

"Why? Why do you want to make me happy?" I whispered.

"Because I love you." My eyes widened and my heart rate picked up.

"W-What?" I stuttered.

"I love the way you talk, I love the way you roll your eyes when one of us does something silly, I love the way you kiss…" He trailed, "I love _you_." He pressed his nose to my cheek and kissed it gently.

I stood in shock; complete and utter shock. He _loved _me? Edward Masen loved _me_? No! He couldn't love me, he **doesn't **love me.

"You're wrong." I whispered. He pulled back from me with a confused expression.

"You don't love me." I spat harshly. "You're delusional." I tried to shove him away but he refused to move.

"How can you say that?" He hissed, "I love you! I love you, I love you, I love you!" I shook my head.

"No…no." I sobbed.

"Wait." He gasped. He pulled away from me completely and stared at me. "Do you…love me?" I was put off by his question; did I love him? I liked him, I liked him very much.

"I…I-"

"That's it isn't it?" He whispered. Suddenly, he glared at me and clenched his fists. "You were just using me!"

"What? N-No! I-" I gaped at him.

"You thought that you would get close to us, get the juicy gossip on the Cullen children. But you were too selfish for that, weren't you? You thought that you would play with my heart, and then abandon us when you had a taste!" He accused, shouting in my face.

"No! It's not like that!" I pleaded.

"You made me believe that you loved me!" He screamed. My anger started flaring.

"Edward, listen to me!" I yelled.

"Why should I?" He spat viciously, "You've done nothing but lie to me! God, I can't believe I was so _stupid_!" He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Please stop!" I begged.

"Who else is there? Huh? Who else have you been playing with whilst I gave you my heart? Is it Mike? Tyler? Eric? Well, well done _princess_! I'm glad you ignored us today, otherwise I would-"

"I AM ISABELLA SWAN!" I screamed at him, tears running down my eyes. I slumped against the wall and cried into my hand. I glanced up and met his horror-struck eyes.

"W-What?" He whispered.

"I am Isabella Swan." I mumbled quietly. He was silent for a moment.

"It can't be." He whispered, more to himself. Rage flared in the pit of my stomach and my hands balled into fists.

"Remember me, Edward? Remember how you used to hit me? How you used to call me names?" I sneered at him, stalking towards him.

"Please…stop." He whispered, his eyes filling with tears.

"Did you used to stop when I asked you to? Did you ever _think _about how it was affecting me?" I hissed.

"Shut up." He said, trying to cover his ears with his hands.

"You drove me out of here, Edward. You and your _family_. I bet you were happy that I was gone. Did you dance in celebration when I was gone, like you said you would when I _died_?" I yelled.

"SHUT UP!" He roared, lashing out at me. He raised his right hand and slapped me hard across the cheek. I gasped and stumbled backwards, holding my cheek tenderly.

"Iz…Bella. I'm…so…sorry." Edward whispered, reaching out to cradle my face. I smacked his hand away.

"Don't touch me." I snarled threateningly. The stinging in my cheek was almost unbearable.

"Please believe me when I say that I'm _so _sorry." He begged brokenly and I watched as he collapsed onto his knees.

"I knew that you wouldn't change. You're still the same Edward, beating up girls for fun." I spat.

"No." He moaned, fisting his hair. "No!"

"But tell me Edward, because I'm curious. What exactly are you sorry for? Bullying me and destroying my life? Or slapping me?" I glared down at his crumbling form.

"Both." He whispered. He raised his eyes and I saw tears streaking down his face.

"I'm glad I ignored you too." I whispered and then I laughed bitterly, "I bet it would have been better for the both of us if we continued hating each other, huh Edward?"

"No…No, I…I love you." He slowly got up and stood in front of me.

"I love you." He said again, with determination. I stepped backwards, ready to run.

"Goodbye Edward." I whispered, and then sprinted to the parking lot.

"BELLA!" I heard Edward call in desperation, but I kept running. "BELLA!" He screamed again. My vision became blurry as I dived into my car. I quickly revved up the engine and reversed.

The last thing I saw as I hit the road was Edward's crumbled form sobbing into the concrete.


	17. Stay With Me

Chapter 17: Stay With Me

Numbness. That's all I felt as I stared blankly at my ceiling. I was dripping wet from the rain and my bed was slowly getting soaked, but I didn't care. He knew. He knew who I truly was; and he didn't accept me.

More tears came to my eyes and I whimpered quietly, remembering what he did. I placed my hand tenderly over my cheek where his hand came into contact with my skin. That one action confirmed that he hated me. I should have told him in the beginning to save myself from this hurt.

I rubbed my soar eyes and slowly sat up, feeling filthy. I slumped forward and allowed a few scattered tears to fall onto my quilt. Keeping my head down, I stood up and walked into the bathroom, needing a warm shower.

**EPOV:**

I couldn't believe it…

I just couldn't believe that Izzy Sinclair…_my _Izzy…was Isabella Swan.

I pulled up into my house, still in a daze. After trying to comfort me, Carlisle had taken home my siblings, still wondering why I was sobbing in the school parking lot. Normally, I would not have let anyone see me like that, but at the time I simply didn't care. I had let the woman I love slip through my fingers.

"Edward!" Alice cried as soon as I stepped into the house. She wrapped her tiny arms around my torso whilst I just stared at the white wall in front of us. She looked up at me and gasped.

"What on earth happened?" She asked, leading me into the living room where everyone else was waiting anxiously. I felt their eyes on me as I stiffly sat down, away from them all. I looked to the unoccupied space next to me and shed a tear, knowing that Bella should be there.

"Son, please tell us what's wrong." Esme begged, sitting next to me and wiping the tear away. I leaned into her and sobbed quietly for a few moments and I appreciated the space that they were giving me. I cleared my throat to speak, but it didn't stop my voice from trembling.

"Izzy Sinclar…is Isabella Swan." I croaked. I heard a number of gasps throughout the room.

"What?" Emmett whispered.

"How?" Jasper wondered. My sisters were sobbing into their hands.

"I don't know." I answered lifelessly.

"What do we do?" Alice wailed. I thought for a moment, remembering how Bella shattered my heart only a mere few hours ago.

"Nothing; we don't do anything. She wants us to leave her alone." I finalised. Without another word, I stood up and went up the stairs into my room. I flopped down onto my bed, face first, and started crying.

I had given my heart to Isabella Swan…but it was too late for me to get it back. It belonged to her.

**BPOV:**

"No! You can't do that!" Will shouted from the other end of the phone.

"I think you'll find that I can." I replied calmly, brushing my damp hair.

"We won't let you!" He cried defiantly.

"You don't have a choice." I replied darkly and hung up the phone. I put down my brush and hugged myself closer to my fluffy dressing-gown, curling up on the sofa. I looked up and saw some boring soap-opera. I sighed heavily and turned it off. I trudged up the stairs to my room and locked the door. I turned on my laptop and waited for it to load.

While I was in the shower, I came to a revelation. I needed to get away from Forks. I needed to be free once again. I had told Will of my idea, who had probably told Scott, and of course, he refused it. But, like with most things now, I didn't care.

I loaded up the internet and went onto the airport sight. I scanned the flights to Florida and relief washed over me when I saw a flight for the twenty second of December. I immediately booked a ticket, knowing that I had enough money.

I had told Charlie that it would be a nice way to surprise Renée for Christmas. What I didn't tell him was that I would be staying in Florida permanently.

**xoxox**

The whole school knew who I was. Eyes bored into my skull as I walked from the parking lot to the Main Office. I showed Mrs. Cope my ID as she had to change my name on the registers, even though there was no point; I would be gone soon.

As I walked down the corridor, ignoring the sneers that were aimed my way, I noticed yellow posters, advertising the Winter Formal.

_I doubt I'll be going with Edward…_My mind thought bitterly. I sighed heavily when I suddenly banged into someone.

"Sorry!" I immediately apologised, until I saw Tanya and Lauren.

"So, Swan; it's really you?" Tanya asked, folding her arms across her chest. I nodded my head.

"Oh well, we forgot to give you something when you left." She sneered and with that, she slapped me in the face in the same place where Edward had. I held my cheek when Lauren smacked my other cheek.

"Oh, and Eddie told me to tell you that you're dumped and that he is going to the Winter Formal with me." Tears sprung to my eyes and I tried desperately to hold them back. There was no reason for me to feel upset over the fact that Edward liked Tanya. So why did it hurt inside?

They continued to sneer and smack me until two figures pushed me behind them, protectively. I couldn't hear anything that they were saying, but I looked up and saw my two best friends.

"Will! Scott!" I sobbed and hugged them close to me. I blubbered for ages until they looked at my face properly.

"Shit, Bella; you're bleeding." Scott said, tilting my chin up towards the light.

"Let's get her to the nurse." Will said. Scott picked me up in his arms and headed towards the nurse's office, with Will close behind. She gave me some ice for my cuts and bruises and then went to talk to the receptionist.

"So, I hear you're moving back to Florida." Scott said casually, looking at one of the paintings that were hung up in the reception.

"Yes." I sighed. I really didn't want to talk about this right now.

"When were you planning on telling us?" He asked skeptically.

"I told Will last night." I retorted.

"So, you're just gonna run away?"

"It's not called running away; it's called breaking free." I slumped further into my seat. Once the pain had gone away, I threw the ice pack onto the table and left the office.

"We'll go with you." Scott stated as they followed me into Building 3. I spun around to face them.

"No." I hissed.

"Bella, we only came here so we could stick by you; what's the point of staying here without you?" Will asked. I sighed in defeat. Knowing he was right.

"Besides," Scott smirked, "we've already got our tickets."

"When for?" I asked.

"Twentieth of December." Will answered. Great, two days on my own.

"Fine." I muttered angrily. I entered my English room and looked to an angry Mr. Varner.

"You're twenty minutes late to my lesson, Ms. Sinclair." I snapped.

"I was with the nurse." I explained, trying to keep my voice down. The class were reading in silence although a few students were looking to see what was going on.

"Do you have a note?" He raised an eyebrow at me. I simply turned and showed him my cut jaw. "Very well." He sighed. I looked up and saw Alice staring at me with tears in her eyes.

"Mr. Varner, is it possible that I could sit somewhere else?" I asked nicely.

"Why?"

"Because I don't concentrate well with Alice, sir." Apparently, this excuse was good because he agreed and placed me on a separate desk at the front. I could feel people staring at me and heard girls giggling. I rolled my eyes and started on my work.

**xoxox**

For the rest of the morning, I avoided the Cullens, no matter how heart-broken they looked. I switched seats with people and refused to talk to them. I didn't go to the cafeteria at lunch. Instead, I went to the music room.

As soon as I got in there, the sleek, black grand piano was calling to me. I sat down on the seat and let my fingers linger over the keys. I started playing a sad melody, expressing how I was feeling. I then thought about Edward, and the words suddenly flowed from my mouth.

_**I'm so tired of being here, suppressed by all my childish fears  
>And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave<br>Your presence still lingers here and it won't leave me alone**_

**_These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real_**  
><strong><em>There's just too much that time cannot erase<em>**

**_When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears_**  
><strong><em>When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears<em>**  
><strong><em>And I held your hand through all of these years<em>**  
><strong><em>But you still have all of me<em>**

**_You used to captivate me by your resonating light_**  
><strong><em>Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind<em>**  
><strong><em>Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams<em>**  
><strong><em>Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me<em>**

**_These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real_**  
><strong><em>There's just too much that time cannot erase<em>**

**_When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears_**  
><strong><em>When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears<em>**  
><strong><em>And I held your hand through all of these years<em>**  
><strong><em>But you still have all of me<em>**

**_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_**  
><strong><em>But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along<em>**

**_When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears_**  
><strong><em>When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears<em>**  
><strong><em>And I held your hand through all of these years<em>**  
><strong><em>But you still have all of me, me, me<em>**

I bowed my head in respect and allowed the last note to sound throughout the room. A few tears ran down my eyes and onto the ivory keys, but I wiped them away brusquely. I played more tunes with the piano, wishing that I could be on the plane to Florida right now.

The bell rang and I dragged my feet to Biology. Once again, I traded seats with someone and ignored Edward who was staring at me from his seat in the back. He tried to talk to me on my way to Gym, but I swiftly walked away, knowing that it would hurt me even more if he expressed his loathing towards me in public.

Gym passed in a blur and before I knew it, I was lying on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling once again.

_Only eighteen more days, and then I'll be free…_

**xoxox**

_**Take a look at my body  
>Look at my hands<br>There's so much here that I don't understand  
>Your face say these promises<br>Whispered like prayers  
>I don't need them<strong>_

_**Because I've been treated so wrong  
>I've been treated so long<br>As if I'm becoming untouchable**_

_**Well, content loves the silence  
>It thrives in the dark<br>With fine winding tendrils  
>That strangle the heart<br>They say that promises sweeten the blow  
>But I don't need them, no<br>I don't need them**_

_**I've been treated so wrong  
>I've been treated so long<br>As if I'm becoming untouchable  
>I'm the slow dying flower<br>In the frost killing hour  
>Sweet turning sour and untouchable<strong>_

_**Oh, I need the darkness  
>The sweetness<br>The sadness  
>The weakness<br>Oh, I need this  
>I need a lullaby<br>A kiss good night  
>Angel sweet love of my life<br>Oh, I need this**_

_**I'm the slow dying flower  
>In the frost killing hour<br>Sweet turning sour and untouchable**_

_**Do you remember the way that you touched me before  
>All the trembling sweetness I loved and adored<br>Your face saving promises whispered like prayers  
>I don't need them<strong>_

_**Oh, I need the darkness  
>The sweetness<br>The sadness  
>The weakness<br>Oh, I need this  
>I need a lullaby<br>A kiss good night  
>Angel sweet love of my life<br>Oh, I need this**_

_**Well is it dark enough  
>Can you see me<br>Do you want me  
>Can you reach me<br>Oh, I'm leaving**_

_**You better shut your mouth  
>And hold your breath<br>And kiss me now  
>And catch your death<br>Oh, I mean this  
>Oh, I mean this<strong>_

"Bells! You're gonna be late!" Charlie called from downstairs. I sighed and shut off the radio. Angela and Jessica had convinced me to go to the Winter Formal as they were the only friends I had in school. I glanced down at my packed suitcases and sighed; I would be leaving tonight. I would go to the dance, have a bit of fun and then hop on a plane. Will and Scott had already sent me a postcard from there.

Angela had lent me one of her dresses. It was a Royal Blue dress with three layers of frills and wrapped around my neck. **(A/N; Picture of Bella's Winter Formal Dress on my profile)**

I added light makeup and curled my hair so it hung down my back beautifully. I grabbed my clutch that contained Will and Scott's postcard and headed downstairs to wear Angela, Jess and Ben were waiting. They all looked great in formal wear.

"Wow Bella; you look beautiful!" Jessica gasped as she and Angela ran to hug me. I hugged them back.

"Now Bells, be careful." Charlie warned.

"I'll be fine, dad." I rolled my eyes and kissed him on the cheek. Me, Jess, Angela and Ben travelled to the dance. It was being held in the school Gym, and apparently it had been decorated so that it was unrecognisable. We got out of the car and headed into the Gym. I had to blink at what I saw.

The entire Gym was decorated in streamers and balloons. There were happy couples dancing with grace and I noticed Mike Newton and his friends by the punch bowl. There were two spotlights going around and I saw two freshmen singing with a DJ providing the music.

"What's that all about?" I yelled to Jess over the music, pointing to the two freshmen on stage.

"Oh, they're having this karaoke thing going on. If the spotlight lands on you, then you have to sing." She replied back. I nodded and went back to searching the crowd when I spotted them. Edward was dressed up in a black tie and suit, with Tanya Denali hanging off his arm. She was dressed in a very tight, very short dress that was extremely low, showing off her cleavage. I noticed that Edward seemed to be searching the crowd for someone and I was hoping that it was me.

However, Tanya caught my eye and smirked at me. She turned to Edward, grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips. He seemed to be trying to pull away but she persisted and pressed her body more firmly against his.

"Bella, are you feeling alright?" Angela asked, taking my hand.

"Yeah Bella, you look pale." Ben commented.

"I'm fine, I think. I just need a drink. I'll see you guys later." I nodded at them and headed off towards the punch bowl. I grabbed myself a cup and sat down on one of the benches. I watched the crowd for a while and took a few pictures of Angela and Ben on my phone whilst they were dancing. I got out the postcard from Will and Scott and smiled brightly.

Suddenly, a blinding light appeared above me. I dropped the postcard and looked up and gulped. The spotlight was on me which meant I had to sing. I looked around for the other spotlight and found that it had rested on Edward. My eyes widened.

"Come on! Don't be shy!" The DJ called. I shakily made my way through the crowd and stood up onstage. Edward stood in front of one microphone whilst I stood in front of the other. A piano started playing and I recognised the song immediately.

**(A/N; Edward, **_Bella, _Both**)**

**I was thinkin about you, thinkin about me,  
>Thinkin about us, what we gonna be?<br>Open my eyes,** it was only just a dream.  
><em>Travel back, down that road.<br>When you come back, No one knows.  
>I realize,<em> it was only just a dream.

**I was at the top and I was like I'm at the basement.  
>Number one spot and now you found your a replacement.<br>I swear now that I can't take it, knowing somebody's got my baby.  
>And now you ain't around, baby I can't think.<br>I shoulda put it down. Shoulda got that ring.  
>Cuz I can still feel it in the air.<br>I see your pretty face run my fingers through your hair.**

**My lover, my life. My baby, my wife.**  
><strong>You left me, I'm tied.<strong>  
><strong>Cuz I knew that it just ain't right.<strong>

I was thinkin about you, thinkin about me,  
>Thinkin about us, what we gonna be?<br>Open my eyes, it was only just a dream.  
>Travel back, down that road.<br>When you come back, No one knows.  
>I realize, it was only just a dream.<p>

_When I be ridin man I swear I see her face at every turn.  
>Tryin to get my usher over, I can let it burn.<br>And I just hope she notice your the only one I yearn for.  
>Oh I miss you when will I learn? <em>

_Didn't give her all my love,  
>I guess now I got my payback.<br>Now I'm in the club thinkin all about you baby.  
>Hey, you was so easy to love. But wait,<br>I guess that love wasn't enough._

_I'm goin through it every time that I'm alone._  
><em>And now I'm wishin that you'd pick up the phone.<em>  
><em>But you made a decision that you wanted to move on.<em>  
><em>Cuz I was wrong.<em>

I was thinkin about you, thinkin about me,  
>Thinkin about us, what we gonna be?<br>Open my eyes, it was only just a dream.  
>Travel back, down that road.<br>When come back, No one knows.  
>I realize, it was only just a dream.<p>

If you ever loved somebody put your hands up.  
><span>If you ever loved somebody put your hands up.<span>  
><span>And now they're gone and you wish you could give them everything.<span>  
><span>Oh, if you ever loved somebody put your hands up.<span>  
><span>If you ever loved somebody put your hands up.<span>  
><span>And they're gone and you wish you could give them everything.<span>

I was thinkin about you, thinkin about me,  
><span>Thinkin about us, what we gonna be?<span>  
><span>Open my eyes, it was only just a dream.<span>  
><span>Travel back, down that road.<span>  
><span>When come back, No one knows.<span>  
><span>I realize, it was only just a dream.<span>

I was thinkin about you, thinkin about me,  
><span>Thinkin about us, what we gonna be?<span>  
><span>Open my eyes, it was only just a dream.<span>  
><span>Travel back, down that road.<span>  
><span>When come back, No one knows.<span>  
><span>I realize, it was only just a dream.<span>

Oh hay.  
><span>It was only just a dream.<span>

We made eye contact from across the stage. The roar of applause burst from the crowd, but I didn't register them. I knew it now; I was in love with Edward Masen. I looked at my phone subtly and saw that it was time to go. I looked back at Edward who was staring at me with pleading eyes.

"Goodbye." I mouthed and dashed out of the Gym.

**EPOV:**

I returned to my family in a hurry, hoping to catch up with Bella. I needed to tell her how beautiful she looked tonight. I needed to reassure her that I didn't care that she was Isabella Swan. I needed to tell her that I loved her, but this time, make her believe.

"Hey, you lookin' for Bella?" Emmett asked as I ran past him. I stopped shortly to look at him.

"Yeah; do you know where she is?" I asked breathlessly.

"Alice saw her leaving in a car." He shrugged, turning back to his drink.

"Shit." I mumbled. I would have to tell her tomorrow, but she never gave me the chance at school. I sighed heavily and looked over to where she was sitting. She looked like an angel when the spotlight appeared on her and I saw many other boys looking at her lustfully. I wanted to snatch their eyes out of their heads.

Suddenly, I spotted a piece of paper lying under her chair. Curious, I picked it up. It was a postcard with a sunny beach on it. I flipped it over.

"_**Hey Bella! We're missing you down here in Florida. It's only been two days but we need you here! Why did you have to book your flight on the twenty second? Why not on the twentieth?-"**_

I didn't read the rest as I sped to my car. I quickly hopped in and revved the engine, setting a course for the airport.

_No! She can't leave me, not when I need her! I love her too much to let her go…_

**BPOV:**

I looked up, hearing my gate being called over the tannoy. I rubbed my eyes once again, stopping the tears from escaping. As soon as I got home, I quickly changed into my hoodie and jeans, grabbed my bags and ran. I didn't say goodbye to Charlie, and that would forever haunt me.

As my ticket got checked, I headed towards the plane when I suddenly heard an angel.

"BELLA!" It screamed. I froze mid-step, already knowing who that voice belonged to. I heard their footsteps coming closer and I slowly turned around, watching as Edward ran towards me.

"Stay where you are!" I yelled at him. He stopped where he was and looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Bella, please; don't go to Florida." I scowled at him.

"How do you know where I'm going?" I demanded. He held up a piece of card and I realised that it was Will and Scott's postcard.

"You left it at the dance." Edward whispered. I sighed and turned back towards the plane.

"No, Bella! Please- wait!" He begged. I turned back to face him.

"What?" I asked harshly.

"There's something I need to tell you." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"Look, if you're gonna waste my time-"

"I love you." He declared. Passers-by stopped where they were to look at the scene that was unfolding.

"That's a lie." I spat. "You don't love _me_; you love Izzy Sinclair, popular girl extraordinaire."

"How can you say that?" He cried, "I love _you_, Isabella Swan. I love you!" my heart jumped at the truth in his words. I looked at his eyes and saw nothing but trust.

"I remember when you said that to me before." I sneered and pointed to my chin. He looked down in disgrace.

"I wasn't thinking straight then." He looked up at me. "If you get on that plane, I'll just catch the next one. I'll follow you to the ends of the earth if I have to." I sniffed and looked down.

"You're a fool-"

"In love." He finished. I snapped my eyes back to him, "Face it, Bella. Either we're both going to Florida or you can stay here…with me."

I bit my lip and looked around. If I went to Florida, I would be putting more pressure on Renée and Phil, not to mention going back to my not-so-perfect reputation, and I would be ripping away Edward from his friends and family. But if I stayed here, then I would have to face the torment of people.

_But you'll be with Edward. _A little voice in my head whispered. _You love him, Bella. Don't give him up because of your past. And remember, he loves you too…_

"Please." Edward whispered, opening his arms out to me. My heart raced as I realised that he truly _did _love me. That only left me with one choice.

I dropped my bags and smiled and the brilliant smile that came onto Edward's face. Ignoring the cheering crowd, I ran straight into his arms which coiled around my body, pressing me to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I love you." I whispered into his ear. He pulled back slightly and placed his forehead against mine.

"I love you too." I smiled at him and pressed my lips to his. He kissed me back hungrily and tangled one of his hands in my hair. We broke away and Edward picked up my bags and held my hand, entwining our finger.

"By the way, don't ever do anything like that again." He sighed and I giggled.

"I won't." I promised and pecked him on the lips. I leaned into his side and sighed, knowing that no matter what happens, I'll always have Edward by my side.

**The End**

**Thank you to everyone who has read my story and a very big thank you to all those who reviewed! The songs featured in my story were:**

**Katy Perry – Last Friday Night**

**R.E.M – Everybody Hurts**

**Natasha Bedingfield – Soulmate **

**Evanescence – My Immortal**

**Natalie Merchant – My Skin**

**Sam Tsui & Christina Grimmie – Just A Dream**

**More stories to come shortly!**


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